a

GAO

United States General Accounting Office

Report to Congressional Requesters

August 2003 FEDERAL REAL 

PROPERTY

Vacant and 

Underutilized 

Properties at

GSA, VA, and USPS

GAO-03-747
• GSA, VA, and USPS primarily rely on field office officials to identify 

vacant and underutilized properties. These officials make on-site 

property visits, communicate with tenant agencies about lease renewals, 

and examine agency program requirements that will affect agencies’ real 

property needs. These three agencies also have ongoing nationwide 

initiatives to realign their real property portfolios. GSA officials are 

reviewing all of its properties to identify and remove all assets from its 

real property inventory that are not financially self-sustaining or for 

which there is not a substantial, long-term federal purpose. VA officials 

are in the process of identifying unneeded real property assets to reduce 

VA’s large inventory of vacant and underutilized buildings. USPS officials 

are reviewing and modifying its postal real property infrastructure so 

that USPS can enhance customer service and control costs through the 

closing and consolidation of unneeded facilities, such as some post 

offices. 

• As of October 1, 2002, these agencies reported a total of 927 vacant and 

underutilized real properties—including facilities and land—located 

throughout the United States and Puerto Rico in 294 cities. VA reported 

the most properties—577; GSA reported 236 properties, and USPS 

reported 114 properties. Most of these properties—807 of 927—were 

facilities that represented about 32.1 million square feet and ranged from 

office buildings to hospitals to post offices. Although VA reported the 

highest number of facilities, GSA facilities made up more than half of 

this square footage. The remaining 120 properties were vacant lands 

reported only by VA and USPS, most of which were 10 acres or less. 

• GSA said that 236 properties is an overstatement because 43 properties 

are committed to future use, and 37 small properties support occupiable 

space. GAO did not change GSA’s total number of properties because 

they were vacant or underutilized as of October 1, 2002. However, GAO 

reflected GSA’s concern in the text and in the list of GSA’s properties. VA

and USPS generally agreed with the information in this report. 

Examples of Vacant GSA, VA, and USPS Facilities 

The federal government has many 

vacant and underutilized properties 

that are no longer needed. 

Retaining unneeded real properties 

presents federal agencies with 

significant potential risks for 

(1) lost dollars because such 

properties are costly to maintain; 

and (2) lost opportunities because 

the properties could be put to more 

cost-beneficial uses, exchanged for 

other needed property, or sold to 

generate revenue for the 

government. 

The General Services 

Administration (GSA), the 

Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA), and the U.S. Postal Service 

(USPS) hold a significant number 

of real property assets. GAO was 

asked to provide information on 

how these agencies identify vacant 

and underutilized real properties 

and the numbers, types, and 

locations of these properties. 

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-747.

To view the full report, including the scope 

and methodology, click on the link above. 

For more information, contact Mark L. 

Goldstein at (202) 512-2834 or 

goldsteinm@gao.gov. 

Highlights of GAO-03-747, a report to 

congressional requesters 

August 2003 

FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY 

Vacant and Underutilized Properties at 

GSA, VA, and USPS 
Page i GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Contents

Letter 1

Results In Brief 2

Background 6

How GSA, VA, and USPS Identify Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Property 7

Numbers, Types, and Locations of GSA, VA, and USPS Vacant and 

Underutilized Real Properties 13

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 25

Appendixes

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 29

Appendix II: List of Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties Reported by 

the General Services Administration as of October 1, 2002 31

Appendix III: List of Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties Reported by 

the Department of Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002 39

Appendix IV: List of Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties Reported by 

the U.S. Postal Service as of October 1, 2002 58

Appendix V: List of Locations with 5 or More GSA, VA, and USPS Vacant 

and Underutilized Real Properties as of October 1, 2002 63

Appendix VI: Comments from the General Services Administration 65

Appendix VII: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments 67

Tables Table 1: Total Number of Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties 

Reported by GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 1, 2002 14

Table 2: Information on Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties 

Reported by GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 1, 2002 16

Table 3: Ranges of Facility Sizes for all 3 agencies—GSA, VA, and 

USPS—as of October 1, 2002 18

Table 4: Size Ranges for Vacant Land Reported by VA and USPS as 

of October 1, 2002 19

Figures Figure 1: Total Number of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 

1, 2002 4

Figure 2: Breakdown of the Numbers of Vacant and Underutilized 

Properties Reported by GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 

1, 2002 15
Contents

Page ii GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Figure 3: Example of Vacant GSA-Owned Property—the L. Mendel 

Rivers Federal Building in Charleston, South Carolina 21

Figure 4: Example of Vacant VA-Owned Property—the Former 

Main Hospital Building on the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 

Health Facility Campus 22

Figure 5: Example of Vacant USPS-Owned Property—the Former 

Main Post Office in Chicago, Illinois 23

Abbreviations

CARES Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services

GSA General Services Administration

USPS U.S. Postal Service

VA Department of Veterans Affairs

VHA Veterans Health Administration

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further 

permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain copyrighted images or 

other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to 

reproduce this material separately.
Page 1 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

United States General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548

A

August 19, 2003 Letr

Congressional Requesters

This report responds to your request for information on vacant and 

underutilized real property controlled by three federal agencies—the 

General Services Administration (GSA), the Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA), and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).1

 As discussed in our January 

2003 high-risk report on federal real property, over 30 agencies control 

hundreds of thousands of real property assets worldwide that are worth 

hundreds of billions of dollars.2

 However, many of these assets, which 

include vacant and underutilized properties, are no longer needed because 

of significant changes in the size and mission needs of federal agencies. 

Unneeded assets present significant potential risks to federal agencies not 

only for lost dollars because such properties are costly to maintain but also 

for lost opportunities because the properties could be put to more costbeneficial uses, exchanged for other needed property, or sold to generate 

revenue for the government. In addition, continuing to hold real property 

that may no longer be needed does not present a positive image of the 

federal government in local communities. Instead, it can present an image 

of waste and inefficiency that erodes taxpayers’ confidence and can have a 

negative impact on local economies if the property is occupying a valuable 

location and is not used for other purposes, sold, or used in a public-private 

partnership if such a partnership provides the best economic value for the 

government.3

1

GSA’s Federal Property Management Regulations define not utilized property as an entire 

property or portion of a property that is not occupied or used for current program purposes 

of the accountable agency or property that is occupied in caretaker status only. According 

to a GSA official, property that is not utilized is generally considered vacant. The regulations 

also define underutilized property as an entire property or portion of a property that is used 

only at irregular periods or intermittently by the accountable agency or property that is 

being used for the agency’s current program purposes that can be satisfied with only a 

portion of the property. (41 C.F.R. 101-47.801)

2

U.S. General Accounting Office, High-Risk Series: Federal Real Property, GAO-03-122

(Washington, D.C.: Jan. 2003).

3

Under a public-private partnership, sometimes referred to as a public-private venture, the 

federal government and a private entity form an arrangement in which the federal 

government contributes real property and the private entity contributes financial capital and 

borrowing ability to redevelop or renovate real property to serve, in part or in whole, a 

public need.
Page 2 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

As of September 30, 2000, the federal government owned about 3 billion 

square feet of building floor space worldwide.4

 You asked us to provide 

information on (1) how GSA, VA, and USPS—the largest nondefense 

holders of federally owned space—identify vacant and underutilized 

properties; and (2) the numbers, types, and locations of these properties.5

To meet the first objective, we discussed and documented real property 

procedures and practices with federal officials at the three agencies, 

including how they identified these properties. For the second objective, 

we obtained and analyzed information on GSA’s, VA’s Veterans Health 

Administration, and USPS’s vacant and underutilized properties. A more 

detailed discussion of our objectives, scope, and methodology is included 

in appendix I.

Results In Brief GSA, VA, and USPS rely primarily on their agencies’ real property officials 

in field office locations to identify vacant and underutilized properties. 

According to agency officials and current agency policies and procedures, 

field office officials identify such properties through the daily management 

and oversight of their real property portfolios. Some specific steps these 

officials use to identify vacant and underutilized property include on-site 

property visits, communications with tenant agencies about lease 

renewals, and examinations of agency program requirements that will 

affect agencies’ real property needs. Also, all three agencies have 

recognized the importance of realigning their real property portfolios by 

identifying and disposing of unneeded real property.

4

U.S. General Services Administration, Summary Report of Real Property Owned by the 

United States Throughout the World, (Washington, D.C.: June 2001). In our report on 

governmentwide real property data, we stated that such data, which are compiled by GSA 

and often referred to as the worldwide inventory, have been unreliable and of limited 

usefulness, and we made recommendations to GSA to improve the data. GSA officials stated 

that they are currently making improvements to the data in response to our 

recommendations. We use these data here because at the time of our review, they provided 

the only available indication of the size and characteristics of the federal real property 

inventory. (See U.S. General Accounting Office, Federal Real Property: Better 

Governmentwide Data Needed for Strategic Decisionmaking, GAO-02-342 [Washington, 

D.C.: Apr. 16, 2002]).

5

As part of your request, you also wanted to know the impact that GSA, VA, and USPS vacant 

and underutilized properties had on their real property operations and the local 

communities where the properties are located. As agreed with congressional staff, it was 

decided that this issue would be best pursued under a separate engagement.
Page 3 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

• In June 2001, GSA started an overall effort, commonly referred to as the 

portfolio restructuring initiative, in which GSA officials are reviewing all 

of its properties nationwide to identify and remove all assets from its 

real property inventory, including vacant and underutilized properties, 

that are not financially self-sustaining or for which there is not a 

substantial, long-term federal purpose.

• In October 2000, VA began a process known as the Capital Asset 

Realignment for Enhanced Services that is intended to strategically 

realign its real property assets to better serve veterans’ health needs. 

One of the process’ major objectives is to reduce VA’s large inventory of 

vacant and underutilized buildings and the significant costs needed to 

maintain these buildings. 

• USPS, faced with such challenges as changing customer needs, 

declining mail volumes, rising costs, and increasing security concerns, 

issued a transformation plan in April 2002. Among other things, the plan 

discussed the need for USPS to review and modify its infrastructure of 

postal facilities so that it can enhance customer service and control 

costs through the closing and consolidation of unneeded postal 

facilities, such as some post offices.

As of October 1, 2002, GSA, VA, and USPS reported having a total of 927 

vacant and underutilized real properties that included a wide range of 

facilities—such as office buildings, hospitals, and post offices—and land 

located throughout the 50 states and in the District of Columbia and Puerto 

Rico. As shown in figure 1, VA reported the highest number of vacant and 

underutilized real properties. 
Page 4 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Figure 1: Total Number of Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties Reported by 

GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 1, 2002

More of the 927 properties—600, or about 65 percent—were vacant 

compared with the remaining 327, or about 35 percent, which were 

underutilized properties. Further, most of the vacant and underutilized 

properties—807 of 927, or about 87 percent—were facilities and ranged 

from office buildings and storage facilities to hospitals and medical centers 

to post offices. These facilities represented about 32.1 million square feet of 

space. Although VA reported having the highest number of vacant and 

underutilized facilities, GSA’s vacant and underutilized facilities made up 

more than half of this square footage. The sizes of the 3 agencies’ facilities 

ranged from less than 10,000 square feet to more than 100,000 square feet, 

with about half of the facilities measuring less than 10,000 square feet. The 

120 land properties were owned by VA and USPS and ranged in size from 

less than 1 acre to 174 acres. The three agencies’ vacant and underutilized 

properties were located in 294 cities throughout the United States and 

Puerto Rico. The highest numbers of vacant and underutilized properties 

were reported for Los Angeles, California, which had a total of 54 

properties; and Fort Howard, Maryland, which had a total of 43 properties.

In commenting on a draft of this report, the Commissioner of GSA’s Public 

Buildings Service said that the report overstated the number of vacant and 

underutilized properties in GSA’s inventory. He said that the 236 GSA 
Page 5 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

properties cited in the report include 43 properties representing about 8 

million square feet of space that are already committed to being used and 

37 small, unoccupiable support properties, such as pump houses, that are 

necessary to the functioning of occupiable space. We did not change the 

total number of GSA’s properties as GSA suggested because the 236 

properties met our criteria of being vacant or underutilized as of October 1, 

2002. Furthermore, most of the 43 committed properties remain vacant or 

underutilized, and most of the 37 support properties have vacant or 

underutilized rentable square feet. However, we reflected GSA’s concern in 

the report and modified appendix II—the list of GSA’s vacant and 

underutilized properties as of October 1, 2002—to specifically identify 

those properties that GSA said were committed to being used and small 

properties that support occupiable space. VA’s Assistant Secretary for 

Management and USPS’s Managers of Facilities Program Management and 

Realty Asset Management generally agreed with the information in the 

report and provided technical comments that were incorporated in the 

report where appropriate.
Page 6 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Background The federal real property environment has many stakeholders and involves 

a vast and diverse portfolio of assets that are used for a wide variety of 

missions. Real property is generally defined as facilities; land; and anything 

constructed on, growing on, or attached to land. The U.S. government’s 

fiscal year 2002 financial statements show an acquisition cost of more than 

$335 billion for real property assets held by the federal government on 

September 30, 2002.6

 In terms of facilities, GSA data indicated that as of 

September 30, 2000, the federal government owned about 3 billion square 

feet of building floor space worldwide and that GSA, VA, and USPS are the 

largest nondefense holders of this federally owned space. GSA provides 

real estate services for itself as well as for other federal agencies and owns 

such facilities as office buildings, courthouses, and border stations.7

 VA 

provides health care services to veterans and owns such facilities as 

hospitals, medical centers, research laboratories, and nursing homes and 

structures that support these facilities, such as garages and storage 

buildings.8 USPS provides mail delivery services and owns such facilities as 

post offices and mail processing plants. Also, the three agencies own tracts 

of land that may have been acquired for various purposes. For example, in 

some cases, USPS acquires land adjacent to a postal facility in anticipation 

of a possible need for future expansion of the facility.

6

This amount does not include stewardship assets, which are not reported on the 

government’s balance sheet. These assets include wilderness areas, scenic river systems, 

monuments, defense facilities (including military bases), and national defense assets. Also, 

real property data contained in the financial statements of the U.S. government have been 

problematic mainly because the government lacked complete and reliable information on its 

asset holdings, including real property. We were unable to express an opinion on the U.S. 

government’s consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2002.

7

GSA’s Public Buildings Service is the major component within GSA that provides real 

property services to federal agencies.

8

VA’s Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the major component within VA that provides 

health care services to veterans. In this report, we focused on VHA properties.
Page 7 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Federal real property managers operate in a complex and dynamic 

environment. Numerous laws and regulations govern the acquisition, 

management, and disposal of federal real property. The Federal Property 

and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (Property Act), and 

the Public Buildings Act of 1959, as amended, are the laws that generally 

apply to the acquisition, use, and disposal of real property held by federal 

agencies.9

 GSA is responsible for implementing the Property Act and the 

Public Buildings Act. Agencies, including GSA and VA, are subject to the 

requirements of these acts unless they are specifically exempted from 

them. USPS, which is an independent establishment in the executive 

branch, is exempt from the Property Act and from most federal laws 

dealing with real property and contracting. USPS is authorized to sell, 

lease, or dispose of real property under its general powers.10

In addition to the Property Act, Executive Order 12512, dated April 29, 

1985, required GSA to, among other things, provide governmentwide policy 

oversight and guidance for federal real property management. In response 

to Executive Order 12512, GSA published regulations that established 

governmentwide guidelines that agencies can use to identify vacant and 

underutilized real property.11 Among other things, these guidelines 

provided general definitions of vacant and underutilized real properties and 

established a process that agencies can use to review real property 

holdings and determine the actions that may be needed to better use or 

dispose of vacant and underutilized properties. 

How GSA, VA, and 

USPS Identify Vacant 

and Underutilized Real 

Property

GSA, VA, and USPS rely primarily on their real property officials in field 

office locations to identify vacant and underutilized properties. According 

to agency officials and current agency policies and procedures, field office 

officials identify such properties through the daily management and 

oversight of their real property portfolios. Some specific steps for 

identifying vacant and underutilized properties include observations that 

9

The Property Act is set forth at 40 U.S.C. § 101 et. seq. The Property Act excludes certain 

types of property, such as public domain assets and land reserved or dedicated for national 

forest or national park purposes. The Public Buildings Act is set forth at 40 U.S.C. § 3301 et. 

seq.

1039 U.S.C. §§ 201 and 401; for purposes of this report, our definition of agency includes 

USPS, an independent establishment in the executive branch.

1141 C.F.R. Subpart 101-47.8.
Page 8 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

these officials make during on-site property visits, communications the 

officials have with tenant agencies about lease renewals, and examinations 

of agency program requirements that will affect agencies’ real property 

needs. In addition, each agency has initiated a special nationwide effort to 

identify unneeded properties and develop an effective strategy for better 

aligning its real property assets with each agency’s changing mission.

In examining their real property portfolios, GSA and VA officials told us 

that they generally rely on GSA’s governmentwide regulations concerning 

vacant and underutilized property as their guide for identifying such 

properties. USPS officials told us that although USPS is exempt from these 

regulations, they continuously strive to identify any real property assets 

that are vacant or underutilized as part of their ongoing real property 

oversight and management responsibilities. The regulations, among other 

things, include various questions that agencies could consider in examining 

their real property portfolios. For example, the questions involve such 

matters as whether contemplated agency program changes will alter 

property requirements or whether all of the property is essential for 

program requirements. GSA officials said that each agency has unique 

properties that serve different missions and has significant discretion in 

interpreting these regulations as to when and how best to identify vacant 

and underutilized properties. GSA officials also said that although there are 

no governmentwide data on vacant and underutilized properties, each 

agency is responsible for maintaining its own information on such 

properties.

Identifying Vacant and 

Underutilized Properties Is 

a Decentralized Process

GSA headquarters officials are primarily responsible for monitoring the use 

of space in all of its properties to ensure that such space is efficiently used. 

GSA headquarters officials also work with field officials to develop plans 

for enhancing the use of space in vacant and underutilized properties or 

disposing of them. However, identifying vacant and underutilized 

properties in GSA is largely a decentralized process and considered an 

integral part of the routine real property management activities that GSA 

headquarters expects its field officials to implement. Asset management 

teams in GSA’s 11 regional offices are primarily responsible for real 

property management activities, which include identifying vacant and 

underutilized properties. The members of GSA’s regional office asset 

management teams include various real property management officials, 

such as portfolio directors, asset managers, realty specialists, and property 

managers, who are usually located at or near specific properties. According 

to GSA officials, these team members work together on a regular basis to 
Page 9 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

manage the real properties for which they are responsible to ensure that 

the properties are well maintained and that property occupants are 

provided with space that will adequately meet their needs. Team members 

also work together to manage the property so that, to the extent possible, 

the property’s income, usually received from property tenants, covers or 

exceeds the property’s expenses. GSA officials said that asset management 

team members generally identify vacant and underutilized properties while 

carrying out their day-to-day real property management responsibilities. 

For example, a realty specialist, who is responsible for monitoring tenant 

leases in a facility, will apprise other asset management team members of 

any tenants who do not plan to renew their leases, which may cause the 

facility to become vacant or underutilized. Also, other means may be used 

to identify vacant and underutilized properties. For example, an asset 

manager may periodically visit a property to make first-hand observations 

about the overall condition of the property and the extent to which space in 

the property is occupied. These asset managers also examine program 

requirements and changing agency mission needs to determine if existing 

space is adequate.

Like GSA, VA’s process for identifying vacant and underutilized properties 

is decentralized. VA headquarters relies primarily on field staff to 

continuously oversee and manage its real properties, which involves 

identifying vacant and underutilized properties. In each of VA’s 21 regional 

offices, referred to as Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN), the 

VISN director is the key individual responsible for overall real property 

management activities at VA locations. To identify vacant and underutilized 

properties, the VISN director relies on various VA personnel, such as chief 

facility engineers, who are usually located at or near the properties and are 

most knowledgeable about them. According to VA officials, these 

individuals generally work together with occupants of the VA property, 

including medical center directors, hospital administrators, and chiefs of 

medical departments, to ensure that the property is well maintained and 

meets their needs for providing veterans with quality health care services. 

At VA locations, vacant and underutilized properties are identified through 

various methods. For example, a chief facility engineer may periodically 

walk through a VA property to identify unoccupied space or solicit 

information from property occupants about the extent to which space in 

the property is being used. Also, some VA locations have strategic planning 

committees that, among other things, are responsible for ensuring that 

space in VA properties is well used and effectively responds to changing 

mission needs. Members of these committees, most of which include the 

associate medical center director and the chief facility engineer as well as 
Page 10 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

medical staff representatives such as the medical center’s chief of surgery, 

work together on a regular basis to review the utilization of space in VA 

properties and identify specific properties or portions of properties that 

may be vacant or underutilized. 

Similar to GSA and VA, USPS has a decentralized process in which USPS 

headquarters expects its field staff to be responsible for continuous 

oversight and management of real properties, which includes identifying 

vacant or underutilized properties. USPS officials told us that although 

USPS is not subject to GSA’s governmentwide guidelines related to such 

properties, field staff continuously strive to identify vacant and 

underutilized properties as part of their day-to-day real property oversight 

and management responsibilities. The vice presidents in charge of USPS’s 8 

area offices and the Capital Metro office have overall responsibility for real 

property operations in 85 district offices throughout the country. District 

managers, who are in charge of district offices and report to area office 

vice presidents, are responsible for the oversight and management of real 

properties within their jurisdictions. District managers are usually located 

at or near USPS properties and rely on various staff, including facility 

engineers, facility specialists, and architect-engineers, for day-to-day 

oversight and management of real properties, which includes identifying 

properties or portions of properties that are vacant or underutilized. 

According to USPS officials, USPS field staff may use various methods to 

identify these types of properties, such as periodic site visits to observe 

how space in properties is used and annual real property reviews to 

identify future space needs. Also, USPS field staff may receive information 

from occupants about space utilization changes. For example, a postmaster 

in charge of a post office may notify a facility specialist in the district office 

that changes to mail delivery routes have reduced the post office’s 

workload, thus creating some vacant space in the post office that may no 

longer be needed.

GSA, VA, and USPS Have 

Begun Nationwide 

Initiatives to Realign Their 

Real Property Portfolios

All three agencies have recognized the importance of realigning their real 

property portfolios by identifying and disposing of unneeded real property. 

Recently, each agency has initiated a special nationwide effort to identify 

unneeded properties and develop a strategy for better aligning its real 

property assets with each agency’s changing mission. GSA has recognized 

that it has many buildings in its portfolio, including vacant and 

underutilized properties that are not financially self-sustaining—not 

generating sufficient income to cover expenses—or for which there is not a 

substantial, long-term federal purpose or predominant federal need. In 
Page 11 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

June 2001, GSA initiated an overall effort—commonly referred to as the 

portfolio restructuring initiative—to restructure and reinvest in the 

portfolio. The objective of this initiative is to better align GSA’s properties 

with its mission of providing quality space and services at a cost that is 

competitive with the private sector. According to GSA officials, GSA is 

currently developing plans for enhancing the utilization of its buildings or 

disposing of them. GSA plans to complete implementation of the portfolio 

restructuring initiative by 2007 and expects by that time to have a portfolio 

of strong, income-producing properties that is much more responsive to 

changing agency mission needs. 

In August 1999, we reported that VA could enhance veterans’ health care 

benefits if it reduced the level of resources spent on underused or 

inefficient buildings and used these resources instead to provide health 

care more efficiently in existing locations or closer to where veterans 

live.12 We recommended that VA develop asset-restructuring plans for all of 

its health care delivery markets to, among other things, help guide future 

decision-making about capital real property investments. In responding to 

this recommendation, VA recognized the need to strategically realign its 

real property assets to better serve veterans’ health needs and began a 

process in October 2000 known as the Capital Asset Realignment for 

Enhanced Services (CARES). VA initiated the CARES process to, among 

other things, reduce its large inventory of vacant and underutilized 

buildings and the significant costs required to maintain them. Many of the 

buildings became vacant and underutilized when VA began shifting its role 

in the mid-1990s from being a traditional hospital-based provider of 

medical services to an integrated delivery system that emphasizes a full 

continuum of care with a significant shift from inpatient to outpatient 

services. To get a better perspective on the extent to which vacant and 

underutilized properties existed nationwide, VA headquarters developed a 

database that identified these properties and that was used in the CARES 

process to identify space conditions in these properties. Through CARES, 

VA expects to develop a nationwide strategic plan that identifies the capital 

real property assets needed to meet veterans’ health care needs as well as 

those assets that are no longer needed.

In August 2002, VA announced the results of its CARES pilot test—a plan to 

realign capital real property assets in its Great Lakes network, which 

12U.S. General Accounting Office, VA Health Care: Improvements Needed in Capital Asset 

Planning and Budgeting, GAO/HEHS-99-145 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 13, 1999).
Page 12 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

involves restructuring inpatient facilities and opening new outpatient 

clinics in community settings to provide health care to veterans. As part of 

this plan, VA identified 31 buildings that are no longer needed to meet 

veterans’ health care needs, including 30 that were vacant, and has 

developed or implemented alternative use or disposal plans for most of 

these buildings.13 Currently, VA is conducting CARES studies in its 20 other 

health care networks. VA’s goal is to make property realignment decisions 

by the end of 2003; at that time, given its extensive inventory of buildings 

nationwide, VA expects that many additional buildings will have been 

identified as not needed for use in providing health care to veterans.

VA officials told us that in addition to CARES, VA has initiated other actions 

to address vacant and underutilized real properties. For example, under its 

enhanced-use leasing program, VA has entered into various public-private 

partnerships to help improve the use of some of its vacant and 

underutilized facilities.14 Also, in July 2001, VA established the Office of 

Asset Enterprise Management, which provides oversight of VA’s real 

property assets by evaluating the effectiveness of the implementation of 

real property asset management policies, principles, standards, and 

guidelines that govern the acquisition, management, and disposal of such 

assets. In addition, VA officials said that VA (1) has established 7 capital 

portfolio goals that are designed to help VA better manage its real property 

assets—3 of these goals focus on reducing the amount of vacant and 

underutilized space in its facilities; and (2) is developing a portfolio 

management information system known as the Capital Asset Management 

System that will enable VA to measure performance and monitor progress 

in attaining these goals.

USPS has also recognized the need for addressing problems associated 

with vacant and underutilized properties. Faced with such challenges as 

changing customer needs, declining mail volumes, rising costs, and 

increasing security concerns, USPS issued a transformation plan in April 

2002. In the plan, USPS discussed the need for a comprehensive 

transformation of USPS to ensure that it will be financially viable and can 

adequately fulfill its mission of providing the nation with postal services in 

13U.S. General Accounting Office, VA Health Care: Improved Planning Needed for 

Management of Excess Real Property, GAO-03-326 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 29, 2003).

1438 U.S.C. §8161 (2002) et seq. VA has its own authority to enter into partnerships to lease 

its properties to nongovernmental entities. In turn, these entities develop, rehabilitate, or 

renovate the properties.
Page 13 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

the 21st century. USPS also discussed the need to review and modify its 

infrastructure of postal facilities so that it can enhance customer service 

and control costs. Among other things, USPS identified various actions it 

plans to take regarding the process for closing and consolidating unneeded 

postal facilities. For example, USPS stated that it will lift the self-imposed 

moratorium on post office closings and consolidations. In addition, USPS 

plans to work with the Postal Rate Commission to streamline the post 

office closing process to minimize the amount of time it takes to reach 

decisions about post office closures. According to USPS officials, USPS 

will be continuously reviewing its entire postal infrastructure to, among 

other things, develop plans for realigning postal facilities to ensure that the 

facilities will adequately fulfill USPS’s mission needs. The officials told us 

that as these reviews are completed, USPS will publicly announce its plans 

for realigning postal facilities.

Numbers, Types, and 

Locations of GSA, VA, 

and USPS Vacant and 

Underutilized Real 

Properties 

As of October 1, 2002, GSA, VA, and USPS reported having a total of 927 

vacant and underutilized real properties—including a wide range of 

facilities and land—located throughout the 50 states and in the District of 

Columbia and Puerto Rico.15 Of the 3 agencies, VA reported having the 

highest number of vacant and underutilized real properties—a total of 577 

properties. GSA was second with 236 vacant and underutilized properties; 

and USPS was third with 114 vacant and underutilized properties.16 Table 1 

shows a breakdown of the total numbers of vacant and underutilized 

facilities and land at the 3 agencies.

15The identification and disposal of vacant and underutilized property is an ongoing process. 

Given this, the numbers of properties are subject to constant change.

16The 927 vacant and underutilized properties—including 807 facilities and 120 tracts of 

land, which totaled about 2,000 acres—represented a small portion of the total number of 

properties held by these 3 agencies. Specifically, as of October 1, 2002, the 3 agencies owned 

a total of about 14,900 facilities and 44,900 acres of land, with GSA holding about 1,700 

facilities and 8,700 acres of land; VA holding about 4,900 facilities and 15,600 acres of land; 

and USPS holding about 8,300 facilities and 20,600 acres of land.
Page 14 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Table 1: Total Number of Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties Reported by 

GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 1, 2002

Source: GAO analysis of GSA, VA, and USPS data.

In commenting on a draft of this report, the Commissioner of GSA’s Public 

Buildings Service said that the report overstated the number of vacant and 

underutilized properties in GSA’s inventory. He said that the 236 GSA 

properties cited in the report include 43 properties representing about 8 

million square feet of space that are already committed to being used and 

37 small, unoccupiable support properties, such as pump houses, that are 

necessary to the functioning of occupiable space. We did not change the 

total number of GSA’s properties as GSA suggested because the 236 

properties met our criteria of being vacant or underutilized as of October 1, 

2002. Furthermore, most of the 43 committed properties remain vacant or 

underutilized, and most of the 37 support properties have vacant or 

underutilized rentable square feet. However, to reflect GSA’s concern, we 

modified appendix II—the list of GSA’s vacant and underutilized properties 

as of October 1, 2002—to specifically identify those properties that GSA 

said were committed to being used and small properties that support 

occupiable space.

GSA, VA, and USPS data showed that of the 927 properties, 600, or about 65 

percent, were vacant properties; and 327, or about 35 percent, were 

underutilized properties. As shown in figure 2, VA and USPS reported 

having more vacant than underutilized properties, whereas GSA reported 

having more underutilized than vacant properties. 

Agency

Number of vacant and underutilized properties

Facilities Land Total Percent of total

GSA 236 0 236 26

VA 533 44 577 62

USPS 38 76 114 12

Total 807 120 927 100%
Page 15 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Figure 2: Breakdown of the Numbers of Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties 

Reported by GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 1, 2002

Table 2 provides more detailed information on the numbers of vacant and 

underutilized properties at each of the 3 agencies.
Page 16 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Table 2: Information on Vacant and Underutilized Real Properties Reported by GSA, VA, and USPS as of October 1, 2002

Source: GAO analysis of GSA, VA, and USPS data.

a

The two agencies that identified land properties—VA and USPS—considered these properties to be 

vacant.

Agency

Number of vacant properties

Number of underutilized 

properties

Total number of vacant and 

underutilized properties

Facilities Landa

Total vacant 

properties Facilities Land Facilities Land Total

GSA 93 0 93 143 0 236 0 236

VA 352 44 396 181 0 533 44 577

USPS 35 76 111 3 0 38 76 114

Total 480 120 600 327 0 807 120 927
Page 17 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

As table 2 shows, most of the vacant and underutilized properties were 

facilities—807 of 927 properties, or about 87 percent—and these facilities 

included a wide range of structures. Most of GSA’s vacant and underutilized 

facilities included office buildings, warehouses, and storage facilities. VA’s 

vacant and underutilized facilities were buildings that were generally 

located on medical complexes in campus-like settings. These facilities 

typically included various medical buildings, such as hospitals, medical 

centers, and nursing homes along with structures that supported the 

medical buildings, such as garages and storage buildings. Most of USPS’s 

facilities included post offices, stations, and branches. The 807 facilities 

represented a total of about 32.1 million square feet of space.17 Although VA 

reported having the highest number of facilities, GSA’s facilities had the 

highest amount of square footage. Specifically, GSA reported that its 

facilities had about 18.4 million square feet,18 or 57 percent of the total 

square footage belonging to the 3 agencies; VA reported that its facilities 

had about 9.4 million square feet, or 29 percent, of the total square footage; 

and USPS reported that its facilities had about 4.3 million square feet, or 13 

percent, of the total square footage.19

In addition, the sizes of the facilities ranged from less than 10,000 square 

feet to over 100,000 square feet, with about half of the facilities under 

10,000 square feet. Of the 63 properties that were over 100,000 square feet, 

6 were over 500,000 square feet, with 1 of the 6 facilities having about 2.5 

million square feet of space. Table 3 shows the ranges of facility sizes.

17Our review of the square footage data for these facilities revealed that 31 GSA facilities had 

no rentable square footage. GSA officials told us that generally, such facilities could not be 

rented because various structural or environmental conditions made them unsuitable for 

tenant occupation.

18In commenting on a draft of this report, GSA’s Commissioner of the Public Buildings 

Service said that about 8 million square feet of this space was already committed to being 

occupied.

19Percentages do not add to 100 due to rounding.
Page 18 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Table 3: Ranges of Facility Sizes for All 3 Agencies—GSA, VA, and USPS—as of 

October 1, 2002

Source: GAO analysis of GSA, VA, and USPS data.

It should be noted that the three agencies have taken actions or have 

planned actions to improve the use of some of these facilities or dispose of 

them. For example, through its portfolio restructuring initiative, GSA has 

developed plans to do repair and alteration work at 46 buildings and use 

the space in these buildings to house other federal agencies. In addition, 

GSA anticipates that 44 other buildings will ultimately be candidates for 

disposal. By the end of 2003, VA expects that its CARES process will result 

in a nationwide strategic plan that, among other things, will not only help 

VA improve the use of space in its facilities but also identify those real 

property assets that are no longer needed. Also, USPS has ongoing efforts 

to sell unneeded properties. For example, during 2002, USPS generated a 

total of $25.5 million in revenue from the sales of unneeded properties, 

which was an increase over similar sales in 2001 that totaled $22.7 million.

Of the three agencies, only VA and USPS reported having vacant land. As of 

October 1, 2002, VA and USPS identified a total of 120 tracts of vacant land, 

which amounted to a total of about 2,000 acres. The land tracts ranged in 

size from less than 1 acre to 174 acres. As shown in table 4, 80, or about 67 

percent, of the tracts of land owned by VA and USPS fell into the category 

of less than 1 acre to 10 acres. Only 9 properties fell into the category of 

more than 50 acres, with VA having most of these properties.

Range of size 

(square feet)

Vacant 

facilities

Underutilized 

facilities Total Percent of total 

0 to 10,000 324 94 418 52

10,001 to 50,000 117 141 258 32

50,001 to 100,000 19 49 68 8

Over 100,000 20 43 63 8

Total 480 327 807 100%
Page 19 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Table 4: Size Ranges for Vacant Land Reported by VA and USPS as of October 1, 

2002

Source: GAO analysis of VA and USPS data.

a

Percentages do not add to 100 due to rounding.

As previously mentioned, our analysis of GSA, VA, and USPS data showed 

that the 927 vacant or underutilized properties were located throughout the 

50 states and in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GSA’s vacant and 

underutilized properties were located in 42 states and the District of 

Columbia, and VA’s vacant and underutilized properties were located in 47 

states and the District of Columbia. USPS’s vacant and underutilized 

properties were located in 33 states and Puerto Rico. These 927 vacant and 

underutilized properties were located in 294 cities in the United States and 

Puerto Rico. Some of these vacant and underutilized properties were 

located in large metropolitan cities, such as Los Angeles, California; 

Chicago, Illinois; and Dallas, Texas; others were in smaller cities, such as 

Newington, Connecticut; Marion, Indiana; and Canton, Ohio. The data also 

showed that 49 locations had 5 or more of these properties. The highest 

numbers of vacant and underutilized properties were reported for Los 

Angeles, California, which had a total of 54 properties; and Fort Howard, 

Maryland, which had a total of 43 properties. A list of GSA’s vacant and 

underutilized real properties is included in appendix II. Lists of vacant and 

underutilized real properties for VA and USPS are included in appendixes 

III and IV, respectively. Appendix V identifies the 49 locations that had 5 or 

more vacant and underutilized properties.

GSA, VA, and USPS officials explained that each vacant or underutilized 

property has a unique history that, among other things, involves how long 

the property has been vacant or underutilized and the reasons why the 

property became vacant or underutilized. The officials told us that real 

property staff in field locations who have direct responsibility for oversight 

and management of vacant and underutilized properties would be in the 

best position to provide detailed information on the history of these 

properties. The officials explained that in all likelihood, changing agency 

Range of size (acres)

Number of land tracts

VA USPS Total Percent of total

Less than 1 to 10 13 67 80 67

11 to 50 24 7 31 26

More than 50 7 2 9 8

Total 44 76 120 100%a
Page 20 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

mission needs along with other problems, such as the advanced age of 

various vacant and underutilized properties and their deteriorated 

condition, were the most common factors that led to the properties 

becoming vacant or underutilized. 

GSA, VA, and USPS officials said that although some vacant and 

underutilized federal properties have potential for alternate uses, the 

properties have for various reasons remained vacant or underutilized for 

years. For example, as discussed in our July 2001 report on public-private 

partnerships, the GSA-held property that is shown in figure 3—the L. 

Mendel Rivers federal office building in Charleston, South Carolina—has 

been vacant for about 4 years.20 According to GSA officials, this facility—a 

7-story, 100,000-square-foot building on just over 2 acres—has no rentable 

square footage. The facility is contaminated with asbestos and has been 

unoccupied since it sustained damage in 1999 from Hurricane Floyd. We 

reported that although there was a weak federal demand for space where 

the property is located, the property is located in a highly desirable location 

where land values are high, and there was a strong potential for private 

sector demand. GSA officials estimated that in fiscal year 2002, a total of 

about $28,000 was spent to cover various building operations and 

maintenance expenses, such as fire protection and utilities. A GSA official 

told us that as of April 2003, GSA and the city of Charleston had developed 

a memorandum of understanding, which states that the city of Charleston 

will construct a new building for GSA and, in exchange, the city will take 

control of the L. Mendel Rivers building. The official estimated that the city 

should be able to proceed with the new GSA building project in the summer 

of 2003.

20U.S. General Accounting Office, Public-Private Partnerships: Pilot Program Needed to 

Demonstrate the Actual Benefits of Using Partnerships, GAO-01-906 (Washington, D.C.: 

July 25, 2001).
Page 21 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Figure 3: Example of Vacant GSA-Owned Property—the L. Mendel Rivers Federal 

Building in Charleston, South Carolina

Note: Provided by Ernst & Young LLP for use in our July 2001 report on public-private partnerships 

(GAO-01-906).

Another example of a long-held vacant property involves a VA-owned 

building at a health care facility campus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This 

134,000-square-foot building, which is shown in figure 4, has been vacant 

for about 14 years. The building had been used as the campus’ main 

hospital but was vacated in 1989 primarily because a new main hospital 

was built on the campus. VA officials told us that in June 1999, a consulting 

firm—Economic Research Associates—issued a study in which it identified 

various options for VA to consider in trying to enhance the use of various 

vacant and underutilized buildings on the Milwaukee campus, including the 

former main hospital building.21 On the basis of the study’s results, VA 

officials told us that a substantial investment of capital would in all 

21Economic Research Associates, Report for Enhanced-Use Options, Zablocki VA Medical 

Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Submitted to Department of Veterans Affairs, ERA Project 

Number: 12460 (Apr. 1998; Re-Issue June 1999).
Page 22 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

likelihood be needed to convert this building for alternate use. For 

example, to convert the building for use as housing for the elderly, the 

study estimated that about $8.4 million to $9.3 million would be needed. VA 

officials also mentioned that various organizations, such as the Salvation 

Army and the Knights of Columbus, expressed some interest in leasing the 

building; but thus far, VA has not received any firm offers from these 

organizations. VA officials told us that in fiscal year 2001, VA incurred about 

$348,000 in maintenance costs for this building, which included such 

expenses as utilities, pest management, and security. Also, the officials said 

that VA currently has no alternate use or disposal plans for this building.

Figure 4: Example of Vacant VA-Owned Property—the Former Main Hospital 

Building on the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Health Facility Campus

Note: Photograph taken in December 2001.

An example of a vacant USPS facility is the former Chicago Main Post 

Office located in downtown Chicago, Illinois, which is shown in figure 5. 

This 2.5-million-square-foot former post office and mail processing facility 
Page 23 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

has not been used as the main post office since 1997—about 6 years—when 

it was replaced with a new postal facility. According to USPS officials, 

annual holding costs for this property exceed $2 million. The officials also 

told us that although USPS has received various offers to purchase this 

facility, attempts to complete the sale have thus far been delayed due 

mainly to (1) an overall weakness in the Chicago real estate market, which 

has raised concerns about whether a sufficient number of tenants could be 

found to occupy the facility; and (2) the inability of potential developers 

and the city of Chicago to agree on real estate tax abatement issues. 

According to USPS, there will have to be a breakthrough in current market 

conditions, together with an agreement between potential developers and 

the city of Chicago, before this project can move forward.

Figure 5: Example of Vacant USPS-Owned Property—the Former Main Post Office in 

Chicago, Illinois

Note: Photograph taken in approximately 1995.
Page 24 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Vacant and Underutilized 

Properties Pose Challenges 

for Federal Agencies

As noted in the above examples, the efficient use or disposal of unneeded 

real property, including vacant and underutilized property, poses 

significant challenges for federal agencies.22 As discussed in our January 

2003 high-risk report on federal real property, disposal of unneeded real 

property is a complicated issue influenced by various laws as well as 

budgetary limitations.23 The high-risk report pointed out that in the disposal 

area, a range of laws intended to address other objectives challenges 

agencies’ efforts to dispose of unneeded property. For example, USPS is 

specifically precluded from closing small post offices solely for economic 

reasons.24 Furthermore, agencies are required under the National 

Environmental Policy Act to consider the environmental impact of their 

decisions to dispose of real property. Generally speaking, agencies are 

responsible for environmental cleanup of any hazardous substances 

associated with the properties prior to disposal, such as medical wastes, 

asbestos, and lead paint. Despite the importance of this, cleanup costs can 

be considerable and can involve years of study. For property with historic 

designations—which is common in the federal portfolio—agencies are 

required by the National Historic Preservation Act to ensure that historic 

preservation is factored into how the property is eventually used.

The high-risk report also pointed out that most agencies cannot retain the 

proceeds from the sale of unneeded property. Given that agencies are 

required to fund the costs of preparing property for disposal, the inability 

to retain any of the proceeds acts as an additional disincentive. The report 

further pointed out that public-private partnership arrangements can be a 

viable option for redeveloping obsolete federal property when they provide 

the best economic value for the government, compared with other options, 

such as federal financing through appropriations or sale of the property. 

However, most agencies are precluded from entering into such 

arrangements. The high-risk report recommended the development of a 

comprehensive and integrated real property transformation strategy that, 

among other things, could identify how best to realign and rationalize 

federal real property and dispose of unneeded real property assets.

22In a February 2000 report—U.S. General Accounting Office: Accrual Budgeting: 

Experiences of Other Nations and Implications for the United States, GAO/AIMD-00-57

(Washington, D.C.: Feb. 18, 2000)—we discussed how some countries have encouraged the 

efficient use of real property assets. 

23GAO-03-122.

2439 U.S.C. 101(b).
Page 25 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Continuing to hold unneeded vacant and underutilized properties is costly 

to the government and can present an image of waste and inefficiency that 

erodes taxpayer confidence. Given this, we plan to continue monitoring 

federal agencies’ efforts to realign their real property portfolios. These 

efforts can help the agencies respond to changing mission needs and 

reduce the large number of vacant and underutilized properties in their real 

property inventories.

Agency Comments and 

Our Evaluation

We received written comments on a draft of this report from GSA’s 

Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service on June 23, 2003 (see app. 

VI). He said that the report overstates the amount of underutilized space in 

GSA’s inventory. He said that the current list of GSA properties in the report 

includes vacant space that was not available for assignment because it is 

already committed, such as space being renovated for a customer agency. 

He stated that revising our list of vacant and underutilized properties to 

recognize properties committed to being occupied would reduce the total 

number of properties by 43—from 236 to 193—and the square footage from 

18.2 million to 10.3 million. In addition, he said that the number of vacant 

and underutilized properties is inflated by the inclusion of 37 small support 

properties that were unoccupiable, such as a pump house or a parking lot 

booth, but necessary to the functioning of occupiable space. The 

Commissioner went on to say that support properties are small and have 

little impact on the square footage of underutilized space reported, but the 

inclusion of these properties does disproportionately affect the number of 

underutilized properties. He stated that as of March 2003, the vacant 

assignable space in GSA’s owned inventory, which he said was the 

commonly accepted private sector measure of vacancy, was 10 million 

square feet, which was only 5.5 percent of GSA’s owned inventory. He also 

said that this percent is well below industry averages. He went on to say 

that as GSA implements its portfolio restructuring initiative, which is 

discussed earlier in this report, it will further improve the performance of 

its real property portfolio. For example, phasing out GSA’s warehouses will 

reduce the current list of vacant and underutilized properties by 48 

buildings.

We did not change the total number of GSA’s vacant and underutilized 

properties in the report. One of our objectives was to identify all vacant and 

underutilized properties in GSA’s inventory as of October 1, 2002, so that 

we could provide an overview of these types of properties at a given point 

in time. According to GSA data, the 43 properties, which GSA said were 

committed to future use, and the 37 properties, which GSA said were 
Page 26 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

support properties, met our criteria as vacant or underutilized properties as 

of October 1, 2002. Furthermore, based on updated information that we 

obtained from GSA, 37 of the 43 properties that GSA said were committed 

to future use remained vacant or underutilized as of May 1, 2003. In 

addition, 30 of the 37 support properties that GSA cites as unoccupiable 

had rentable space that GSA reported as vacant or underutilized. 

In the report, we provided specific information on the types, sizes, and 

vacancy rates for all properties reported by GSA, including committed and 

support properties, which provides transparency and context for 

understanding the nature of these properties. In addition, we stated in the 

report that the identification and disposal of vacant and underutilized 

property is an ongoing process, with the numbers of properties thus 

subject to constant change. Also, we recognized in the report that GSA (1) 

has developed plans to do repair and alteration work at 46 buildings and 

use the space in these buildings to house other federal agencies and (2) 

anticipates that 44 other buildings will ultimately be candidates for 

disposal. However, we reflected GSA’s concern in the report and modified 

appendix II—the list of all GSA vacant and underutilized properties as of 

October 1, 2002—to specifically identify those properties that GSA 

identified as committed to being used and as support facilities necessary to 

the functioning of occupiable space. We did not verify the data that GSA 

provided on committed space and support properties.

We applaud GSA’s efforts to restructure its real property portfolio and its 

current progress in reducing vacant assignable space. GSA’s current 

portfolio restructuring initiative, if implemented effectively, can go a long 

way toward better aligning GSA’s properties to provide quality space and 

services at a cost that is competitive with the private sector and to reduce 

the number of vacant and underutilized properties in its real property 

inventory. GSA also provided technical comments that were incorporated 

in the report where appropriate.

On June 23, 2003, we received oral comments from VA’s Assistant Secretary 

for Management and USPS’s Managers of Facilities Program Management 

and Realty Asset Management. They generally agreed with the information 

in the report and provided technical comments that were incorporated in 

the report where appropriate.

We will send copies of the report to the appropriate congressional 

committees, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the 
Page 27 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Administrator of GSA, the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

and the Postmaster General. Copies will also be made available to other 

interested parties on request. In addition, the report will be available at no 

charge on our Web site at www.gao.gov.

Contacts and staff acknowledgments for this report are included in 

appendix VII. If you or your staff have any questions, please contact me at 

(202) 512-2834 or at goldsteinm@gao.gov.

Mark L. Goldstein

Acting Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues
Page 28 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

List of Congressional Requesters

The Honorable Susan Collins

United States Senate

The Honorable James M. Jeffords

United States Senate

The Honorable Carl Levin

United States Senate

The Honorable Jack Reed

United States Senate

The Honorable Olympia J. Snowe

United States Senate

The Honorable Arlen Specter

United States Senate

The Honorable Luis Gutierrez

House of Representatives

The Honorable Marcy Kaptur

House of Representatives

The Honorable Dale Kildee

House of Representatives

The Honorable Steven C. LaTourette

House of Representatives

The Honorable Marty Meehan

House of Representatives

The Honorable Jack Quinn

House of Representatives

The Honorable Bart Stupak

House of Representatives
Page 29 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Appendix I

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology AAppenednxidexiIs

To meet the first objective, which was to provide information on how the 

General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Veterans Affairs 

(VA), and U.S. Postal Service (USPS) identified vacant and underutilized 

real properties, we reviewed, analyzed, and discussed with GSA and VA 

officials governmentwide real property management laws, regulations, and 

executive orders, which established criteria for most federal agencies to 

follow in accomplishing their responsibilities regarding vacant and 

underutilized real property. Also, because USPS is exempt from most 

federal laws dealing with real property, we reviewed appropriate legislation 

that authorizes USPS to sell, lease, or dispose of property under its general 

powers and discussed this legislation with USPS headquarters officials 

responsible for real property management operations. In addition, we 

reviewed various internal GSA, VA, and USPS documents, such as manuals, 

handbooks, and bulletins, which provided guidance on the agencies’ 

procedures for identifying vacant and underutilized real property under 

their control. We also discussed these procedures with various 

headquarters and field officials from GSA, VA, and USPS who were 

responsible for and most knowledgeable about their agencies’ real property 

management operations involving vacant and underutilized property. 

To meet the second objective, which was to provide information on the 

numbers, types, and locations of vacant and underutilized real properties at 

the three agencies, we obtained data from agency headquarters officials at 

GSA, VA’s Veterans Health Administration, and USPS on their owned vacant 

and underutilized real properties—facilities and land—as of October 1, 

2002. In addition to identifying the numbers, types, and locations of such 

properties, we also examined, analyzed, and formatted the data to obtain 

some perspective and context about the characteristics of the properties, 

including size and vacancy rate. GSA suggested using a property’s vacancy 

rate as the basis for determining whether a facility could be considered 

vacant or underutilized. GSA officials told us that they considered a facility 

as underutilized if it had a vacancy rate of 26 percent or more. 

To establish a clearer distinction between vacant and underutilized 

facilities in this report, we considered a facility with a 100 percent vacancy 

rate to be vacant and a facility with a vacancy rate of 26 percent to 99 

percent to be underutilized. Using vacancy rates that GSA, VA, and USPS 

provided to us, we categorized the three agencies’ facilities as either vacant 

or underutilized. For the purposes of this report, all land properties were 

considered 100 percent vacant. 
Appendix I

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Page 30 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

The real property data provided by GSA, VA, and USPS were the only 

centralized data available that could provide some indication of the 

numbers, types, and locations of the three agencies’ vacant and 

underutilized properties nationwide. We did some limited testing of the real 

property data by discussing with agencies’ headquarters database 

managers any apparent inconsistencies or inaccuracies we found with the 

data. On the basis of those discussions, we adjusted the data to ensure that 

the inconsistencies and inaccuracies we found were corrected or clearly 

explained. We did not perform a detailed review of the three agencies’ 

computer systems that generated these data to determine the extent to 

which significant errors or incompleteness in the key real property data 

elements might exist. Also, we did not consider in our analysis the 

appropriateness of how space was used in the agencies’ real properties. In 

addition, we did not examine the extent to which agencies used GSA’s 

governmentwide guidelines to identify vacant and underutilized properties. 

As part of the initial request, we were also asked to develop information on 

the impact that GSA, VA, and USPS vacant and underutilized properties had 

on their real property operations and the local communities where the 

properties are located. As agreed with congressional staff, it was decided 

that this issue would be best pursued under a separate engagement. 

We received written comments on a draft of this report from the 

Commissioner of GSA’s Public Buildings Service and oral comments from 

VA’s Assistant Secretary for Management and USPS’s Managers of Facilities 

Program Management and Realty Asset Management. The comments we 

received are discussed near the end of the letter, and GSA’s written 

comments are included in appendix VI. We performed our work from 

November 2002 through June 2003 in accordance with generally accepted 

governmentwide auditing standards.
Page 31 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002 ApenIdxi

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa

Alabama (7) Theodore Hamilton Blvd Depotd 0 100

Montgomery 15 Lee St Fed bldg/courthoused 119,751 96

Mobile 167 St Louis St Garage parkinge, f 4,003 93

Gadsden 600 Broad St Fed bldg/courthoused 28,728 47

Selma 908 Alabama Ave Fed bldg/courthoused 20,373 44

Jasper 1710 Alabama Ave Fed bldg/courthouseh 23,812 39

Birmingham 1800 5th Ave N Fed bldg/courthoused 164,644 35

Alaska (2) Anchorage 2nd Ave & Christensen Motor poold, f 0 100

Anchorage 222 W 8th Ave Federal buildingd, g 64,819 48

Arizona (3) Tucson 55 E Broadway St Courthoused, g 69,027 100

Phoenix 230 N First Ave Fed bldg/courthoused, g 283,862 99

Phoenix 314 N Second Ave Parking lotd, f 0 80

Arkansas (1) Hot Spgs Nat’l Park Broadway & Reserve Post office/courthoused, g 66,279 33

California (19) Laguna Niguel 24000 Avila Rd Support bldgd, f 12,361 100

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 8,470 100

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 8,387 100

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 689 100

San Francisco 5th & Mission St Mint buildingh 0 100

Vallejo 823 Marin St Federal buildingh 0 100

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 8,406 74

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 8,387 73

Sacramento 801 I St Federal buildingd 170,404 67

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 17,042 63

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 9,271 63

Sacramento 650 Capitol Mall Fed bldg/courthoused, g 355,302 57

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 22,654 45

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 8,466 42

Alameda 620 Central Ave Federal buildingh 0 42i

Merced 18th & K Sts Federal buildingh 14,061 38

South San Francisco 1070 San Mateo Ave Warehoused 571,274 37

San Francisco 630 Sansome St Appraisers buildingd, g 434,481 35

Sacramento 2800 Cottage Way Federal bldg shopd, f 5,126 33
Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002

Page 32 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Colorado (14) Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 14,963 100

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 8,878 100

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 2,083 100

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd, f 1,541 100

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd, f 1,541 100

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 5,128 92

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd, f 372 81

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 33,625 69

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd, g 360,797 67

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd, f 1,957 52

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 10,171 49

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 12,837 36

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 5,180 36

Lakewood W 6th Ave & Kipling St Federal buildingd 761 35

Connecticut (1) New Haven 150 Court St Federal buildingd 130,629 31

District of Columbia 

(10)

Washington, DC Second & C Sts SW Federal buildingd, g 477,039 100

Washington, DC 2430 E St NW Federal buildinge, g 38,945 100

Washington, DC M St SE Federal buildingd 36,717 100

Washington, DC 726 Jackson Pl NW Federal buildingd, g 6,842 100

Washington, DC 716 Jackson Pl NW Federal buildingd, g 4,422 100

Washington, DC 740 Jackson Pl NW Federal buildingd 3,909 100

Washington, DC 600 Independence SW Federal buildingd, g 384,041 98

Washington, DC Navy Yards GPO field plantd 99,792 85

Washington, DC 2701 South Capitol St Federal buildingd 51,158 81

Washington, DC 9th & Constitution Ave Federal buildingd, g 904,858 40

Florida (5) Tampa 611 N Florida Ave Courthouseh 92,747 100

Tallahassee 110 East Park Ave Courthoused 48,827 100

West Palm Beach 801 Clematis St Industrial buildingd 14,903 100

Pensacola 100 Palafox St Courthoused 28,083 77

West Palm Beach 801 Clematis St Federal buildingd 76,711 49

Georgia (5) Thomasville 404 Pinetree Blvd Warehoused 8,695 100

Albany 337 Broad Ave Post office/courthouseh 25,793 74

Savannah 124 Barnard St Federal buildingd 14,494 61

Athens 115 Hancock Ave Post office/courthoused 41,487 48

Dublin 100 N Franklin St Courthoused 21,120 31

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa
Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002

Page 33 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Idaho (1) Boise 304 N 8th St Fed bldg/post officeh 65,950 46

Illinois (1) Danville 201 N Vermillion St Fed bldg/courthoused 52,640 62

Indiana (4) New Haven Bldg T-130 Federal buildingd 4,960 100

Elkhart 327 W Marion St Federal buildingh 0 100

New Haven Bldg T-146 Federal buildingd 0 100

Jeffersonville 1201 East 10th St Federal buildingd, f 17,384 35

Louisiana (4) New Orleans 3819 Patterson Rd Federal buildingd, g 1,136 100

Opelousas Union & Vine Fed bldg/post 

office/courthouseh 38,380 54

Harahan 400 Edwards Ave Warehoused 201,400 41

Harahan 400 Edwards Ave Pump housed, f 1,706 40i

Maine (1) Houlton 95 Interstate Animal inspectiond 3,676 37

Maryland (37) Silver Spring 1 New Hampshire Ave Federal buildingd 407,498 100

Baltimore Curtis Bay Depot Warehoused 151,622 100

Baltimore Curtis Bay Depot Warehoused 144,685 100

Silver Spring 25 Goddard Rd Federal buildingd, g 130,700 100

Silver Spring 20 Edison Rd Federal buildingd 95,786 100

Middle River 2800 Eastern Ave Federal buildingd 73,025 100

Silver Spring 132 Dahlgren Rd Federal buildingd, g 39,202 100

Silver Spring 71 Maury Rd Federal buildingd, g 34,323 100

Silver Spring 30 Lake Rd Federal buildingd 32,998 100

Silver Spring 90 Bowditch Rd Federal buildingd 31,099 100

Middle River 2800 Eastern Ave Federal buildingd 25,642 100

Silver Spring 100 Bowditch Rd Federal buildingd 23,745 100

Silver Spring 130 Dahlgren Rd Federal buildingd, g 22,757 100

Silver Spring 70 Maury Rd Federal buildingd, g 22,051 100

Suitland 4510 Silver Hill Rd Suitland housed 7,180 100

Silver Spring 206 Bowditch Rd Federal buildingd 5,029 100

Silver Spring 203 Bowditch Rd Federal buildingd 4,346 100

Middle River 2800 Eastern Ave Flammable storaged, f 1,124 100

Silver Spring 10901 New Hampshire 

Ave

Federal buildingd, g

588 100

Silver Spring 203A Bowditch Rd Federal buildingd 120 100

Silver Spring 108 Blandy Rd Federal buildingd 0 100

Silver Spring 101 Bowditch Rd Federal buildingd 0 100

Silver Spring 405 Bushnell Rd Federal buildingd 0 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa
Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002

Page 34 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Maryland (37) Silver Spring 402-406 Dahlgren Rd Federal buildingd 0 100

Silver Spring T5 Dahlgren Rd Federal buildingd 0 100

Silver Spring 510 Sims Rd Federal buildingd 0 100

Silver Spring 323 Wilkes Rd Federal buildingd 0 100

Suitland Suitland Complex Heating plantd, f 0 100

Middle River 2800 Eastern Ave Federal buildingd 493,986 94

Middle River 2800 Eastern Ave Oil housed, f 16,216 67i

Middle River Eastern Blvd Boiler housed, f 6,604 67i

Middle River Federal Depot Flammable storaged, f 768 67i

Suitland 4401 Suitland Rd Federal buildingd 317,545 56

Salisbury 129 E Main St Federal buildingd 28,676 55

Middle River 2800 Eastern Ave Federal buildingd 1,209,091 54

Rockville 2 W Montgomery Ave Fed bldg/post officed 14,259 53

Baltimore 103 South Gay St Appraisers buildingd 147,665 27

Massachusetts (3) Watertown Arsenal St Depotd 101 100

Watertown Arsenal St Depotd 72 100

Pittsfield 78 Center St Federal buildingd 27,364 44

Michigan (3) Pontiac 142 Auburn Federal buildingh 0 100

Kalamazoo 410 W Michigan Ave Fed bldg/post 

office/courthoused 72,113 37

Lansing 315 W Allegan Federal buildingd 97,161 33

Minnesota (5) Minneapolis 212 Third Ave S Federal buildingd 143,197 95

Fort Snelling 1 Federal Dr Garaged, f 56,684 49

Fergus Falls 118 S Mill St Post office/courthoused 46,573 45

Fort Snelling 1 Federal Dr Garaged, f 0 28i

Fort Snelling 1 Federal Dr Federal buildingd, g 605,430 26

Mississippi (3) Vicksburg 120 Crawford St Post office/courthouseh 70,133 45

Oxford 911 Jackson Ave Post office/courthoused 68,193 44

Tupelo 500 W Main St Fed bldg/post officed 37,609 33

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa
Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002

Page 35 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Missouri (22) St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 233,206 100

Kansas City 607 Hardesty Federal buildingh 208,487 100

Kansas City 607 Hardesty Federal buildingh 171,246 100

Kansas City 607 Hardesty Federal buildingh 88,838 100

Kansas City 607 Hardesty Federal buildingh 18,098 100

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 15,919 100

Kansas City 607 Hardesty Federal buildingh 8,640 100

Kansas City 607 Hardesty Federal buildingh 540 100

Kansas City 811 Grand Ave Courthoused 0 100

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd, g 311,446 80

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 13,772 75

Kansas City 8930 Ward Pkwy Federal buildinge, g 191,765 74

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 13,834 72

Kansas City 1500 E Bannister Rd Federal buildingd, g 13,918 58

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 14,315 57

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 12,841 55

Kansas City 1200 E Bannister Rd Federal buildingd 22,077 52

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 15,383 52

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 13,260 44i

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Electrical substationd, f 3,070 44i

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Electrical substationd, f 2,394 44i

St Louis 4300 Goodfellow Federal buildingd 15,285 50

Nebraska (1) Omaha 215 N 17th St Federal buildingd, g 378,149 39

Nevada (4) Las Vegas 300 Las Vegas Blvd S Fed bldg/courthoused, g 196,635 72

Reno 300 Booth St Fed bldg/courthoused, g 121,695 66

Carson City 705 N Plaza Fed bldg/post officed, g 51,459 60

Las Vegas 600 Las Vegas Blvd Federal buildingd, g 85,694 29

New Hampshire (1) Concord 55 Pleasant St Federal buildingd 109,602 80

New Jersey (1) Belle-Mead Bldg 101 GSA Depot Warehoused 0 100

New Mexico (4) Albuquerque 517 Gold Ave SW Federal buildingd 211,462 70

Roswell Fifth & Richardson Ave Federal buildingd 56,698 33

Albuquerque 500 Gold Ave SW Federal buildingd, g 309,520 27

Albuquerque 1800 Twelfth St NW Motor poold, f 3,108 27

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa
Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002

Page 36 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

New York (7) Binghamton 1151 Hoyt Ave Warehouseh 200,429 100

Scotia One Amsterdam Rd Federal buildingd, g 6,494 100

Manhattan 203-209 Centre St Garaged, f 4,132 100

Olean 517 North Barry St SSA Trust Fund Bldgh 0 100

Binghamton 1151 Hoyt Ave Federal buildingh 0 42i

Binghamton 1151 Hoyt Ave Warehouseh 0 42i

Champlain Route 9 Border stationd 2,869 32

North Carolina (2) Raleigh 300 Fayetteville St Fed bldg/post officed 73,787 35

Raleigh 310 New Bern Ave Federal buildingd 334,206 34

North Dakota (3) Dunseith US Hwy 281 at

Canadian Border

Border stationd, f

1,300 100

Portal US Hwy 52 at 

Canadian Border

Border stationd

937 100

Bismarck 1st and Thayer Parking lotd, f 0 39

Ohio (3) Sharonville 11935 Enterprise Dr Depotd 0 100

Canton 201 Cleveland Ave Federal buildingd 73,154 54

Cincinnati 100 E Fifth St Post office/courthoused, g 437,808 27

Oklahoma (6) Ardmore 200 First Ave NW Federal buildingh 5,284 100

Oklahoma City 2800 S Eastern Ave Warehoused 5,460 93

Oklahoma City 200 NW Fifth St Parking lotd, f 16,732 56

Jay Whitehead & Delaware Fed bldg/post officeh 8,907 51

Oklahoma City 2800 S Eastern Ave Maintenance bldgd, f 2,360 50

McAlester Third & Grand Ave Fed bldg/courthousee 17,617 31

Oregon (4) Medford North Runway Dr Fleet mgmt centere, f, g 3,230 100

Portland 511 NW Broadway Federal buildingd 122,529 49

Enterprise 201 W North St Fed bldg/post officeh 10,847 46

Portland 220 NW Eighth Ave Custom housed 84,316 30

Pennsylvania (3) Ambridge 521 8th St Federal buildingh 0 100

Pittsburgh 700 Grant St Post office/courthoused, g 703,986 45

Erie 617 State St Federal buildingd, g 47,538 35

South Carolina (3) Charleston 334 Meeting St Federal buildingh 0 100

Spartanburg 201 Magnolia St Federal buildinge, g 38,870 31

Sumter Corner, Main & Caldwell Federal buildingh 11,054 30

South Dakota (2) Aberdeen 102 4th Ave SE Post office/courthoused 48,709 41

Sisseton 205 E Oak St Fed bldg/post officed 18,889 32

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa
Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002

Page 37 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Tennessee (3) Greeneville 101 Summer St Fed bldg/courthouseh 25,465 98

Clarksville 204 N 2nd St Federal buildingd 12,572 45

Lafayette 118 E Locust St Federal buildingh 10,585 43

Texas (23) Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehoused 261,099 100

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehoused 144,259 100

Corpus Christi 521 Starr St Courthouseh 26,187 100

Brownsville 405 E Levee Federal buildingh 7,689 100

San Antonio 651 S Main Ave Federal buildinge 6,643 100

Fort Worth 401 Texas Garaged, f 3,802 100

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Federal buildingd 2,321 100

Texas (23) San Antonio 651 S Main Ave Federal buildingd 1,211 100

Los Indios 100 Los Indios Blvd Border stationd, g 79 100

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehoused 265,774 97

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehoused 96,649 94

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehousee 255,736 73

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehoused, g 266,707 60

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Shedd, f 391 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Gas meter housed, f 213 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Shedd, f 133 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Storehoused, f 92 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Oxygen storaged, f 90 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Acetyl storaged, f 90 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Storehoused, f 86 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Shedd, f 0 47i

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehousee 261,034 36

Fort Worth 501 Felix St Warehoused 218,750 26

Utah (3) Clearfield Clearfield Fed Depot Federal buildingd 128,885 100

Clearfield Clearfield Fed Depot Federal buildingd 131,516 33

Salt Lake City 125 S State St Federal buildinge, g 307,196 29

Vermont (5) Alburg Springs US Highway Border stationd, g 2,873 52

Alburg Springs US Highway Garaged, f 0 52i

West Berkshire State Route 118 Border stationd 5,379 49

Richford State Route 105 Border stationd, g 6,838 43

Richford State Route 105 Border stationd, g 6,343 30

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa
Appendix II

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the General Services 

Administration as of October 1, 2002

Page 38 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Source: GSA.

a

Some GSA properties are installations that include more than one structure. For such structures, 

GSA’s database provided only the address for the installation. Thus, in some cases, more than one 

structure will have the same address.

b

Building size is in rentable square feet. Some buildings, such as those scheduled for demolition, have 

no rentable square feet. 

c

This table includes all GSA buildings that had a vacancy rate of 26 percent or higher.

d

GSA officials told us that as of May 1, 2003, GSA was considering alternatives or implementing 

actions aimed at enhancing the utilization of this property or disposing of it.

e

GSA officials told us that as of May 1, 2003, this property was no longer vacant or underutilized 

because scheduled renovations for the property had been completed, and the property had a vacancy 

rate of 25 percent or less. 

f

According to GSA officials, this property is a support structure necessary to the functioning of 

occupiable space.

g

According to GSA officials, this property includes vacant space that is committed for use. For 

example, in some cases, such space is being renovated for a customer agency.

h

GSA officials told us that as of May 1, 2003, GSA had initiated actions to dispose of this property. 

i

GSA did not have vacancy rates for some buildings but had a vacancy rate for the entire installation on 

which the building was located. This vacancy rate is the installation vacancy rate. 

Virginia (2) Staunton 1426 N Augusta St Federal buildingh 3,950 100

Farmville High & Main Sts Federal buildingh 7,686 89

Washington (1) Vancouver 500 W 12th St Federal buildingd 20,677 46

West Virginia (2) Moundsville 7th & Lafayette St Federal buildingd 0 100

Martinsburg 244 Needy Rd Unknowne, g 150,000 81

Wisconsin (2) Wausau 317 First St Federal buildingd 0 100

Eau Claire 500 S Barstow Commons Fed bldg/courthousee 24,449 32

Total (236) 113 cities 236 properties 18,428,566

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in state/entity)

Property location

Type of property

Property size 

(square feet)b

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Addressa
Page 39 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002 ApenIdxi

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)

Alabama (30) Tuscaloosa 3701 Loop Rd Land 55 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd Land 25 100

Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Rd Land 12 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 48,000 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 43,757 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 17,298 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 10,948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 10,346 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 10,260 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 9,892 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 9,489 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 4,050 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 3,990 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 3,553 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 2,118 100

Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Rd Storage 1,800 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 948 100

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd VA building 59,188 98

Tuscaloosa 3701 Loop Rd VA building 27,125 87

Tuskegee 2400 Hospital Rd Linen 10,400 50

Tuscaloosa 3701 Loop Rd Child care 48,648 49

Tuscaloosa 3701 Loop Rd VA building 49,104 48

Tuscaloosa 3701 Loop Rd Administrative bldg 6,135 33
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 40 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Arizona (4) Prescott 500 Hwy 89 North Administrative bldg 1,834 100

Prescott 500 Hwy 89 North Administrative bldg 19,153 57

Prescott 500 Hwy 89 North Administrative bldg 6,191 44

Prescott 500 Hwy 89 North Administrative bldg 12,476 42

Arkansas (5) North Little 

Rock

2200 Foot Roots Dr VA building

21,170 100

North Little 

Rock

2200 Foot Roots Dr Storage

4,542 100

North Little 

Rock

2200 Foot Roots Dr Research storage

3,485 100

North Little 

Rock

2200 Foot Roots Dr Storage

13,099 44

North Little 

Rock

2200 Foot Roots Dr VA building

20,272 30

California (65) Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Land 50 100

Mather AFB 10535 Hospital Way Land 26 100

Oakland 150 Muir Rd Land 23 100

Fresno 2615 E Clinton Ave Land 1 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St VA building 131,313 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd VA building 60,000 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd VA building 60,000 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Pharmacy 55,886 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd VA building 52,604 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Gym 24,432 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Mental health 22,072 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Storage 20,000 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Chapel 8,758 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Engineering 8,000 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Repair shop 6,648 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Engineering 6,155 100

Livermore 4951 Arroyo Rd Engineering 4,600 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Supply 4,480 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Treatment center 4,187 100

Livermore 4951 Arroyo Rd Director's quartersd 4,045 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd VA building 3,600 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Supply 3,234 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 41 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

California (65) Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Dry clean 3,000 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Living quartersd 2,758 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd VA building 2,400 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St VA building 2,400 100

San Francisco 4150 Clement St Storage 2,373 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St VA building 2,253 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Garage 2,240 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Grounds locker 2,240 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Research trailer 1,978 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Research trailer 1,929 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Living quartersd 1,758 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Living quartersd 1,577 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Mobile house 1,400 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Mobile house 1,400 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Mobile house 1,400 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Research trailer 1,321 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Research trailer 1,303 100

Menlo Park 795 Willow Rd VA building 1,300 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Research trailer 1,158 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Research trailer 1,141 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Living quartersd 1,072 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Living quartersd 998 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Restrooms 960 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Grounds 

maintenance 900 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd VA building 840 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Grounds 

maintenance 800 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Engineering 720 100

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St VA building 380 100

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Motor pool 100 100

Menlo Park 795 Willow Rd Research 15,200 77

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Administrative bldg 28,602 66

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Psychiatry 33,333 64

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Research/clinic 44,395 63

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 42 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

California (65) Oakland 150 Muir Rd Engineering 1,978 61

Palo Alto 3801 Miranda Ave Engineering/laundry 20,300 59

Mather AFB 10535 Hospital Way Dental administration 1,440 50

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd VA building 40,000 33

Palo Alto 3801 Miranda Ave Research 60,083 32

Los Angeles 16111 Plummer St Outpatient care 73,350 32

Los Angeles 351 East Temple VA building 153,420 31

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Rehab 52,099 31

Los Angeles 11301 Wilshire Blvd Administrative bldg 65,575 30

Palo Alto 3801 Miranda Ave Modular bldg 17,300 29

Colorado (1) Denver 1055 Clermont St Chapel 1,817 100

Connecticut (12) Newington 555 Willard Ave Administrative bldg 13,131 100

Newington 555 Willard Ave Warehouse 9,285 100

Newington 555 Willard Ave VA building 3,630 100

Newington 555 Willard Ave Research 3,050 100

Newington 555 Willard Ave VA building 8,277 99

Newington 555 Willard Ave Research 22,362 92

Newington 555 Willard Ave VA building 9,032 90

West Haven 950 Campbell Ave Administrative bldg 3,880 59

Newington 555 Willard Ave VA building 9,350 56

West Haven 950 Campbell Ave Administrative bldg 3,860 55

Newington 555 Willard Ave Facilities mgmt 5,975 50

Newington 555 Willard Ave Boiler plant 20,000 33

Delaware (3) Elsmere 1601 Kirkwood Hwy VA building 13,326 100

Elsmere 1601 Kirkwood Hwy VA building 4,570 100

Elsmere 1601 Kirkwood Hwy VA building 3,736 100

District of Columbia (1) Washington, 

DC

50 Irving St. NW Land

12 100

Florida (2) Lake City 619 S Marion Ave Land 36 100

West Palm 

Beach

7305 N Military Trail Land

10 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 43 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Georgia (14) Augusta 1 Freedom Way Land 30 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Shops/storage 48,547 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Administrative bldg 38,633 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Administrative bldg 35,566 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Administrative bldg 26,891 100

Dublin 1826 Veterans Blvd Nursing home care 8,920 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Living quartersd 6,328 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Living quartersd 6,328 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Living quartersd 6,328 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Living quartersd 6,328 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Living quartersd 3,239 100

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Engineering storage 1,884 87

Dublin 1826 Veterans Blvd Inpatient bldg 18,130 50

Augusta 1 Freedom Way Engineering storage 11,788 44

Idaho (2) Boise 500 W Fort St Land 5 100

Boise 500 W. Fort St VA building 1,258 100

Illinois (20) Hines 5th St & Roosevelt Ave Land 50 100

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd Land 23 100

Hines 5th St & Roosevelt Ave VA building 58,000 100

Hines 5th St & Roosevelt Ave VA building 58,000 100

Hines 5th St & Roosevelt Ave VA building 58,000 100

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd VA building 50,681 100

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd VA building 49,670 100

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd VA building 48,742 100

Danville 1900 E. Main VA building 14,290 100

Danville 1900 E. Main VA building 13,875 100

Chicago 820 S Damen St Outpatient social 

work 4,752 100

Hines 5th St & Roosevelt Ave Greenhouse 573 100

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd Paint shop/union 

offices 12,449 76

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd Administrative 21,026 71

Danville 1900 E Main Nursing home 78,295 59

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd Recreation 56,720 53

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd VA building 89,975 40

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 44 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Illinois (20) Hines 5th St & Roosevelt Ave Admin/office/ qtrsd 22,446 28

North Chicago 3001 Greenbay Rd Research 51,535 27

Hines 5th St & Roosevelt Ave Nursing home 69,702 26

Indiana (28) Indianapolis 1481 W Tenth St Land 8 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 37,135 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 32,892 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 27,660 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 27,660 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 26,452 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 26,124 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 24,697 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 24,116 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 20,572 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 20,550 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 20,287 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 19,058 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 18,263 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 18,126 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 17,380 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 12,237 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 12,237 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 10,765 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 8,980 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 8,971 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 5,025 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 1,020 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 260 100

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 28,958 95

Marion 1700 E 38th St Print shop 20,139 85

Marion 1700 E 38th St VA building 17,533 57

Marion 1700 E 38th St Hospital 63,076 31

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 45 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Iowa (7) Knoxville 1515 W Pleasant St Land 49 100

Knoxville 1515 W Pleasant St VA building 43,836 100

Knoxville 1515 W Pleasant St Administrative bldg 28,894 97

Knoxville 1515 W Pleasant St VA building 43,872 94

Knoxville 1515 W Pleasant St Recreation 14,646 52

Knoxville 1515 W Pleasant St Canteen 46,635 37

Knoxville 1515 W Pleasant St Nursing home care 49,129 36

Kansas (39) Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Land 39 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Storage 60,846 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 49,124 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 30,312 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 28,890 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 28,046 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 24,284 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 24,186 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 23,946 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 23,946 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 23,946 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Canteen 23,946 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 23,919 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 22,190 100

Wichita 5500 East Kellogg Research 22,152 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 21,764 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Theater/library 17,275 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Storage 14,526 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 12,028 100

Topeka 2200 Gage Blvd Administrative bldg 10,521 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 9,700 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 9,061 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 9,061 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 8,239 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 8,130 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 7,726 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Rec hall/credit union 7,473 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 5,143 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 46 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Kansas (39) Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 4,550 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St. Trafficway Psychology offices 4,420 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway VA building 4,320 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 3,945 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 3,945 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Living quartersd 3,033 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Chapel 2,081 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Shelter 1,585 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Shelter 1,568 100

Leavenworth 4101 S 4th St Trafficway Training center 9,920 66

Wichita 5500 East Kellogg Outpatient care 5,074 28

Kentucky (19) Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Land 20 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Inpatient bldg 53,711 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Inpatient bldg 53,368 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Nursing home care 50,859 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Administrative bldg 16,714 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Rehab 6,464 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Living quartersd 5,082 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Living quartersd 5,082 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Living quartersd 4,164 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Storage 3,000 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Garage 2,811 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Greenhouse 2,710 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd VA building 1,475 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Garage 901 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Garage 329 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Storage 232 100

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Engineering 5,106 50

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Inpatient bldg 20,706 33

Lexington 2250 Leestown Rd Inpatient bldg 46,127 30

Louisiana (2) Alexandria 2495 Shreveport Hwy VA building 4,176 58

Alexandria 2495 Shreveport Hwy Administrative bldg 21,102 41

Maine (3) Togus 1 VA Center Living quartersd 3,457 100

Togus 1 VA Center Living quartersd 2,930 100

Togus 1 VA Center Administrative 56,639 53

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 47 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Maryland (46) Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Land 10 100

Baltimore 10 N Greene St Land 2 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Hospital 116,739 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd VA building 16,680 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Office 15,750 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd VA building 12,032 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 11,230 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Warehouse 10,380 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Boiler plant 8,360 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 7,797 100

Perry Point VAMC Perry Pt, MD

Division

Treatment center

6,868 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,954 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Office 5,760 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd VA building 5,750 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,663 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,663 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,663 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,663 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,663 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,663 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 5,330 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Engineering 5,120 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Theater 4,430 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Office 4,270 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Canteen 3,120 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 3,050 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Theater 2,731 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Engineering 2,690 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Storage 2,450 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Warehouse 2,332 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Eye clinic 2,234 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Orthotics lab 2,160 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Linen hut 2,042 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Engineering 1,800 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 48 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Maryland (46) Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Storage 1,460 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Engineering 1,310 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd VA building 1,246 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Living quartersd 1,232 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Engineering 1,160 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Connecting corridor 1,150 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Connecting corridor 1,100 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Office 924 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Canteen 750 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Incinerator 610 100

Fort Howard 9600 North Point Rd Engineering 300 100

Perry Point VAMC Perry Pt, 

MD Division

Administrative bldg

16,372 55

Massachusetts (14) Brockton 940 Belmont St Land 5 100

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Storage 5,880 100

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Storage 4,232 100

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Storage 3,276 100

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Storage 2,948 100

Brockton 940 Belmont St Greenhouse 2,348 100

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Storage 1,714 100

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Storage 1,500 100

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Bathrooms 960 100

Brockton 940 Belmont St Theater 39,736 99

Bedford 200 Springs Rd Research 30,420 84

Northampton 421 North Main St Administrative bldg 16,438 33

Brockton 940 Belmont St Domiciliary 71,512 32

Brockton 940 Belmont St VA building 13,646 32

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 49 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Michigan (8) Iron Mountain 325 East H St Land 9 100

Allen Park Not provided Land 1 100

Battle Creek 5500 Armstrong Rd VA building 14,436 100

Saginaw 1500 Weiss St Housekeeping 

quarters 2,444 100

Battle Creek 5500 Armstrong Rd Learning resources 14,427 93

Battle Creek 5500 Armstrong Rd VA building 52,897 82

Battle Creek 5500 Armstrong Rd VA building 50,334 37

Battle Creek 5500 Armstrong Rd Pharmacy 12,637 35

Minnesota (2) Minneapolis 1 Veterans Dr Land 12 100

Minneapolis One Veterans Dr Fire stn/warehouse 23,260 100

Mississippi (4) Gulfport 200 East Beach Blvd Psychiatry 27,223 98

Gulfport 200 East Beach Blvd Psychiatry 25,789 50

Gulfport 200 East Beach Blvd Kitchen 35,960 45

Gulfport 200 East Beach Blvd Storage 5,280 33

Missouri (5) St Louis 1 Jefferson Barracks Dr Administrative bldg 25,527 100

Poplar Bluff 1500 N. Westwood Blvd Living quartersd 3,124 88

St Louis 1 Jefferson Barracks Dr Psychiatry 100,089 82

St Louis 1 Jefferson Barracks Dr Research 17,906 69

St Louis 1 Jefferson Barracks Dr Shops 21,177 31

Montana (3) Fort Harrison Hwy 12 & William St Storage 4,698 100

Fort Harrison Hwy 12 & William St Administrative bldg 83,962 50

Fort Harrison Hwy 12 & William St Fitness center 9,984 33

Nebraska (8) Lincoln 600 S 70th St Land 18 100

Grand Island 2201 N Brdwell Ave Living quartersd 3,500 100

Grand Island 2201 N Brdwell Ave Administrative bldg 3,500 62

Grand Island 2201 N Brdwell Ave Living quartersd 4,464 51

Lincoln 600 South 70th St Dietetics 24,205 51

Lincoln 600 South 70th St Living quartersd 3,315 45

Lincoln 600 South 70th St Hospital 70,551 34

Omaha 4101 Woolworth Ave Storage 550 32

New Hampshire (3) Manchester 718 Smyth Rd VA building 650 100

Manchester 718 Smyth Rd Garage 624 100

Manchester 718 Smyth Rd Garage 624 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 50 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

New Jersey (7) Lyons 151 Knollcroft Rd Psychiatry 85,000 100

Lyons 151 Knollcroft Rd Training 4,400 100

Lyons 151 Knollcroft Rd Living quartersd 3,400 100

East Orange 385 Tremont Ave Grounds unit 1,730 100

East Orange 385 Tremont Ave Trailer 1,400 100

Lyons 151 Knollcroft Rd VA building 37,994 84

Lyons 151 Knollcroft Rd Psychiatry 67,176 75

New Mexico (1) Albuquerque 1501 San Pedro Dr SE Land 100 100

Nevada (4) Reno 1000 Locust St Laundry 8,227 100

Reno 1000 Locust St VA building 4,089 69

Reno 1000 Locust St VA building 3,904 57

Reno 1000 Locust St VA building 2,623 51

New York (38) Jamaica 179-01 Linden Blvd Land 1 100

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Nursing home care

46,122 100

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Nursing home care

45,405 100

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Substance abuse

34,540 100

Jamaica 179-01 Linden Blvd Radiation 6,122 100

Castle Point VAMC Castle Pt, 

NY Division

Living quartersd

5,062 100

New York-Kings 800 Poly Place Administrative bldg 4,880 100

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave Laundry 4,872 100

Northport 79 Middleville Rd Living quartersd 4,191 100

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave Living quartersd 3,300 100

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave Living quartersd 1,698 100

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave Living quartersd 1,698 100

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave Living quartersd 1,698 100

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave Garage 1,028 100

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Admin bldg/lab

49,324 97

Castle Point VAMC Castle Pt, 

NY Division

Living quartersd

20,133 95

Jamaica 179-01 Linden Blvd Nursing home care 40,317 84

Northport 79 Middleville Rd Geriatrics 66,853 84

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 51 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

New York (38) Jamaica 179-01 Linden Blvd Nursing home care 39,608 79

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Admin/inpatient

43,992 78

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Psychiatry

40,400 75

Canandaigua 400 Fort Hill Ave Patient building 57,556 73

Castle Point VAMC Castle Pt, 

NY Division

Research

12,736 68

Northport 79 Middleville Rd VA building 18,882 67

Northport 79 Middleville Rd Mental health 42,763 64

Canandaigua 400 Fort Hill Ave Patient building 52,480 59

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Admin/inpatient

37,108 52

Northport 79 Middleville Rd Living quartersd 6,638 50

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Psychiatry

79,577 49

Northport 79 Middleville Rd VA building 19,332 46

Northport 79 Middleville Rd Mental health 37,817 41

Syracuse 800 Irving Ave Medical center/ 

outpatient care 80,438 41

Northport 79 Middleville Rd Mental health 35,586 41

Jamaica 179-01 Linden Blvd Nursing home care 32,414 37

Montrose 622 Albany Post Rd

Route 9-A

Psychiatry

46,941 36

Castle Point VAMC Castle Pt, 

NY Division

Nursing home care

28,790 33

Northport 79 Middleville Rd Living quartersd 17,391 32

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave Mental health 16,488 31

North Carolina (16) Salisbury 1601 Brenner Ave Land 50 100

Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Living quartersd 42,619 100

Salisbury 1601 Brenner Ave Adminstrative bldg 5,849 100

Durham 508 Fulton St Research 5,846 100

Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Living quartersd 4,472 100

Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Storage 2,111 100

Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Garage 1,736 100

Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Garage 435 100

Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Garage 435 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 52 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

North Carolina (16) Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Garage 435 100

Asheville 1100 Tunnel Rd Garage 233 100

Durham 508 Fulton St VA building 5,301 96

Salisbury 1601 Brenner Ave VA building 36,308 77

Salisbury 1601 Brenner Ave Extended care 75,054 31

Fayetteville 2300 Ramsey St Living quartersd 10,640 30

Salisbury 1601 Brenner Ave Recreation 57,687 29

Ohio (8) Cincinnati 3200 Vine St Land 19 100

Chillicothe 17273 State Route 104 Patient bldg 58,678 100

Dayton 4100 West Third St Engineer residence 1,915 100

Dayton 4100 West Third St Nursing home care 79,377 94

Chillicothe 17273 State Route 104 Child care/offices 44,419 58

Chillicothe 17273 State Route 104 VA building 16,780 50

Dayton 4100 West Third St Cottage 3,253 47

Dayton 4100 West Third St Fitness center 23,846 29

Oklahoma (1) Muskogee 1011 Honor Heights Dr VA building 3,302 53

Oregon (4) White City 8495 Crater Lake Hwy Domiciliary 16,182 81

White City 8495 Crater Lake Hwy Domiciliary 16,075 50

White City 8495 Crater Lake Hwy Domiciliary 15,592 49

White City 8495 Crater Lake Hwy Storage 8,934 38

Pennsylvania (27) Pittsburgh 7180 Highland Dr Land 168 100

Butler 325 New Castle Rd Land 35 100

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd VA building 14,674 100

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd VA building 12,322 100

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd Apartments 7,124 100

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd VA building 7,124 100

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd VA building 6,860 100

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd Living quartersd

 5,120 100

Butler 325 New Castle Rd Living quartersd 4,904 100

Butler 325 New Castle Rd Living quartersd 4,904 100

Butler 325 New Castle Rd Living quartersd 4,904 100

Wilkes Barre 1111 East End Blvd Living quartersd 4,865 100

Pittsburgh 7180 Highland Dr Administrative bldg 2,960 100

Butler 325 New Castle Rd Living quartersd 1,518 100

Butler 325 New Castle Rd Living quartersd 1,204 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 53 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Pennsylvania (27) Pittsburgh 7180 Highland Dr Patient care 38,900 71

Lebanon 1700 South Lincoln Ave Canteen/recreation 31,971 59

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd Engineering 29,392 53

Butler 325 New Castle Rd Storage 13,936 50

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd Living quartersd 6,860 50

Coatesville 1400 Black Horse Hill Rd VA building 5,498 50

Coatesville 1400 Black Horse Hill Rd Administrative bldg 5,498 50

Pittsburgh Delafield Rd Living quartersd 5,120 50

Pittsburgh 7180 Highland Dr Living quartersd 4,600 50

Pittsburgh 7180 Highland Dr Living quartersd 3,120 50

Wilkes Barre 1111 East End Blvd Living quartersd 4,865 50

Coatesville 1400 Black Horse Hill Rd Inpatient/support 35,939 32

Rhode Island (1) Providence 830 Chalkstone Ave Gym 19,776 100

South Carolina (7) Columbia 6439 Garners Ferry Rd Land 33 100

Columbia 6439 Garners Ferry Rd Administrative bldg 21,512 100

Columbia 6439 Garners Ferry Rd Living quartersd 4,644 100

Columbia 6439 Garners Ferry Rd Living quartersd 3,411 100

Columbia 6439 Garners Ferry Rd Living quartersd 9,288 50

Columbia 6439 Garners Ferry Rd Education 1,000 40

Columbia 6439 Garners Ferry Rd Psychiatry 48,553 36

South Dakota (10) Fort Meade 113 Comanche Rd Land 12 100

Sioux Falls 2501 W 22nd St Land 2 100

Fort Meade 113 Comanche Rd Greenhouse 5,678 100

Fort Meade 113 Comanche Rd Theater 4,942 100

Fort Meade 113 Comanche Rd National Guard 3,046 100

Fort Meade 113 Comanche Rd Incinerator 818 100

Fort Meade 113 Comanche Rd Storage 495 100

Hot Springs 500 North Fifth St Incinerator 920 100

Sioux Falls 2501 West 22nd St Mental health 5,448 83

Fort Meade 113 Comanche Rd Recreation 20,358 30

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 54 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Tennessee (15) Johnson City Sidney & Lamont Sts Land 174 100

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Land 60 100

Johnson City Sidney & Lamont Sts Administrative bldg 28,602 100

Johnson City Sidney & Lamont Sts Research 28,602 100

Johnson City Sidney & Lamont Sts Chapel 6,352 100

Johnson City Sidney & Lamont Sts Nursing education 5,760 100

Johnson City Sidney & Lamont Sts Morgue 2,916 100

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Living quartersd 3,283 100

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Garage 547 100

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Garage 547 100

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Therapy shop 8,382 58

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Living quartersd 4,756 50

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Water filtration 4,384 48

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Medical wards 47,738 34

Murfreesboro 3400 Lebanon Pike Storage 13,103 26

Texas (22) Houston 2002 Holcombe Blvd Land 95 100

Kerrville 3600 Memorial Blvd Land 17 100

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr Psychiatry 46,288 100

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr Psychiatry 17,000 100

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr Administrative bldg 17,000 100

Temple 1901 Veterans Memorial 

Dr

VA building

12,133 100

Marlin 1016 Ward St VA building 4,536 100

Dallas 4500 S Lancaster Rd Boiler plant 4,530 100

Temple 1901 Veterans Memorial 

Dr

VA building

4,151 100

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr VA building 3,770 100

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr Living quartersd 3,600 100

Kerrville 3600 Memorial Blvd Rehab shop 2,720 100

Temple 1901 Veterans Memorial 

Dr

VA building

2,535 100

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr Living quartersd 1,400 100

Temple 1901 Veterans Memorial 

Dr

VA building

19,000 79

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr VA building 55,644 69

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 55 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Texas (22) Temple 1901 Veterans Memorial 

Dr

Recreation

9,267 52

Temple 1901 Veterans Memorial 

Dr

VA building

18,900 50

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr Living quartersd 5,236 50

Marlin 1016 Ward St Living quartersd 4,080 50

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr VA building 50,045 38

Waco 4800 Memorial Dr Pharmacy 37,141 33

Utah (2) Salt Lake City 500 Foothill Blvd Research 217 100

Salt Lake City 500 Foothill Blvd Administrative bldg 29,104 71

Vermont (2) White River Jctn 215 N Main St VA building 1,148 100

White River Jctn 215 N Main St Research trailer 864 100

Virginia (14) Salem 1970 Roanoke Blvd Land 41 100

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr Recreation 31,273 100

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr Engineering 21,093 100

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr Psychology 20,909 100

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr VA building 19,192 100

Salem 1970 Roanoke Blvd Living quartersd 5,146 100

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr Grounds shop 2,234 100

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr Grounds shop 1,518 100

Salem 1970 Roanoke Blvd VA building 38,389 54

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr Laundry 4,324 46

Salem 1970 Roanoke Blvd VA building 38,836 38

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr VA building 19,781 35

Salem 1970 Roanoke Blvd Outpatient care 32,317 32

Hampton 100 Emancipation Dr Administrative bldg 19,823 29

Washington (23) Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 8,138 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 5,600 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,795 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 2,481 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,495 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,731 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,790 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,382 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 56 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Washington (23) Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,741 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,674 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,408 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,487 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,405 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,458 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,527 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,452 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 4,208 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 3,570 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 3,540 100

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd VA building 3,152 100

Tacoma Veterans Dr Mental health 33,091 59

Vancouver 1601 E 4th Plain Blvd Office 4,724 53

Tacoma Veterans Dr Homeless program 17,973 48

West Virginia (7) Martinsburg Rte 9/Charlestown Rd Land 92 100

Clarksburg 1 Medical Center Dr Land 27 100

Beckley 200 Veterans Dr Land 8 100

Huntington 1540 Spring Valley Rd Research 13,067 100

Clarksburg 1 Medical Center Dr Living quartersd 3,104 100

Huntington 1540 Spring Valley Rd Living quartersd 5,092 89

Beckley 200 Veterans Ave Administrative bldg 5,669 29

Wisconsin (11) Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave Land 37 100

Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave VA building 133,730 100

Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave Theater 21,986 100

Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave Power plant 20,920 100

Tomah 500 East Veterans St Living quartersd 20,193 100

Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave Library 9,010 100

Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave Chapel 7,316 100

Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave Regional office bldg 130,374 86

Tomah 500 East Veterans St Administrative bldg 23,831 62

Madison 2500 Overlook Terrace Laundry/boiler plant 26,500 50

Milwaukee 5000 W National Ave Hospital 150,728 29

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix III

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the Department of 

Veterans Affairs as of October 1, 2002

Page 57 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Source: VA.

a

Some VA properties are medical complexes that include multiple structures and land. For such 

properties, VA’s database provided only the address for the medical complex. Thus, in some cases, 

multiple structures and land will have the same address.

b

This table provides information that describes various types of VA structures, such as hospitals and 

storage facilities, when such information was available from VA’s database. When descriptive 

information on structure types was not available, the structure was designated as a VA building. Also, 

the vacant tracts of land that VA reported were generally located on medical complexes. VA officials 

told us that these land tracts, which had no structures on them, may be suitable for development. 

However, the officials said that a final determination has not been made on whether these land tracts 

can be made available for disposal. 

c

This table includes all VA structures that had a vacancy rate of 26 percent or higher.

d

In past years, VA provided housing for some employees, such as the hospital director, assistant 

director, and director of finance.

e

VA officials told us that updated information on the planned disposition of these vacant and 

underutilized properties would in all likelihood be available after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

approved the results of the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services process. The officials 

anticipated that this approval would occur by the end of 2003.

Wyoming (7) Sheridan 1898 Fort Rd Land 1 100

Sheridan 1898 Fort Rd Shop 6,899 100

Sheridan 1898 Fort Rd Bowling alley 3,444 100

Sheridan 1898 Fort Rd VA building 7,506 42

Sheridan 1898 Fort Rd Hospital ward 13,269 39

Sheridan 1898 Fort Rd Homeless shelter 7,013 36

Sheridan 1898 Fort Rd VA building 12,769 32

Total (577) 109 cities 577 propertiese 9,420,890 1,503

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties in 

each state/entity)

Property location a

Type of propertyb

Property size

Vacancy rate 

(percent)c City Address 

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Page 58 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Appendix IV

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the U.S. Postal Service 

as of October 1, 2002 ApenVIdxi

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in each state/entity)

Property location

Type of propertya

Property size

Vacancy rate 

City Address (percent)

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)

Alabama (3) Tuskegee N Church St Landb 3 100

Point Clear N/S Hwy 32 Landc Less than 1 100

Selma 723 Alabama Ave Main officec 16,870 100

Alaska (2) Tununak Second & D Sts Main officec 1,043 100

Point Hope 912 Ippig Ave Main officed 843 100

Arizona (3) Phoenix 16825 S Desert Foothills 

Pkwy

Landc

5 100

Phoenix Northwest Corner, 

McDowell Rd & 36th St

Landc

4 100

Central South side of Central Rd Landb Less than 1 100

Arkansas (4) Van Buren 2741 Fayetteville Rd Main officec 19,787 100

McGehee 201 N Second St Main officed 14,609 100

Stuttgart 302-308 S Maple Main officec 9,663 100

Marianna 58 W Main St Main officed 7,982 100

California (15) Lancaster Federal Way & Ave K Landb 25 100

Santa Ana Liberty & Aliso Creek Rd Landb 17 100

Vernon/Bell 5555 Bandini Blvd Landc 10 100

San 

Fernando/Sylmar

13700 Foothill Blvd Landc

5 100

Irvine/Northwood Farwell Ave & League St Landb 4 100

Mendocino East side of Lansing St, 

between Palette Dr Loop

Landd

3 100

La Quinta 79-125 Corporate Centre 

Dr

Landb

3 100

Santa Clarita Northwest corner, Parker 

Rd and Old Rd

Landd

2 100

Stockton Corner of Airport Way, 

First & Pilgrim

Landc

2 100

San Francisco 390 Main St Lande 2 100

Los Angeles 760 N Main St Landc 1 100

Van Nuys 5805 White Oak Landc Less than 1 100

Danville 2605 Camino Tassajara Landb

 Less than 1 100

Los Angeles 7001 S Central Ave Landc Less than 1 100

Santa Monica 711 Olympic USPS buildingb 54,410 100
Appendix IV

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the U.S. Postal 

Service as of October 1, 2002

Page 59 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Colorado (2) Denver S Potomac Landb 44 100

Denver 1501 Wynkoop Mail processing 

plantc 487,295 100

Connecticut (3) Southbury 710 Main St S Landb 11 100

Westport 234 Westport Ave Landb 2 100

Naugatuck 285 Church St Main officec 12,386 100

Florida (3) Venice US 41 & Jacaranda Blvd Landb 8 100

Terra Ceia Southside Terra Ceia Rd Landd 4 100

Ft Pierce 500 Orange Ave Post officec 6,403 100

Hawaii (3) Kahalui Kahalui Airport Landb 5 100

Kailua Kona Big Island Airport Landb 4 100

Honolulu 335 Merchant St Post officec 168,000 80

Idaho (1) Jerome Lincoln Ave Landb 2 100

Illinois (6) Schaumburg American Ln & State 

Pkwy

Landc

7 100

Island Lake North side of Newport Ct Landd Less than 1 100

Chicago 4231 W Washington Landc Less than 1 100

Chicago 433 W Van Buren Main office/mail 

processing 

plant/administrative 

spacec 2,500,000 100

Franklin Park 10750 W Grand Ave Warehousec 267,000 100

Forest Park 7600 Roosevelt Rd Warehousec 245,782 100

Indiana (2) Lawrenceburg Short & William Sts Main officec 3,535 100

Rochester 200 E 8th St Main officed 1,578 100

Kentucky (1) Barbourville 114 N Allison Ave Tenant residencec 1,258 100

Maine (2) Scarborough Mussey Rd Landb 51 100

Eastport 2 Washington St Landb Less than 1 100

Maryland (3) Baltimore/Brooklyn 1500 Cherry Hill Rd Landb 4 100

Columbia 6801 Oak Hall Ln Landd Less than 1 100

Randallstown 9113 Liberty Rd Main officed 5,876 100

Massachusetts (1) Bourne 54 Meetinghouse Ln Landc 4 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in each state/entity)

Property location

Type of propertya

Property size

Vacancy rate 

City Address (percent)

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix IV

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the U.S. Postal 

Service as of October 1, 2002

Page 60 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Michigan (4) Waterford North side of Highland Rd, 

between Airport & 

Crescent 

Landb

7 100

Constantine W/S Pigion Rd Landd 2 100

Caro E/S M-81 Landd Less than 1 100

Detroit 10325 Lyndon Garagee 24,144 100

Nebraska (1) Lincoln 1201 Calvert Landc 5 100

Nevada (2) Reno North Hills Blvd & Golden 

Valley Rd

Landb

3 100

Ely 415 5th St Downtown retail 

unitd 4,998 100

New Hampshire (1) Salem 51 S Broadway Landc 2 100

New Jersey (4) Red Bank 307 Industrial Way West Landb 12 100

Trenton 680 U S Highway 130 Landb 9 100

Secaucus 300 County Ave Landc Less than 1 100

Jersey City 312-314 Pacific Ave Landc Less than 1 100

New Mexico (2) Albuquerque Broadway Blvd SE Landb 52 100

Albuquerque Montano & Tesuque NW Landb 5 100

New York (7) Hicksville/Plainview 1475 Old Country Rd Landb 3 100

Great Neck 302-308 East Shore Rd Landb 2 100

Woodstock Rock City Rd Landc 2 100

New York 110 E 45th St Lande 1 100

Saint James 325 Lake Ave Landb 1 100

Syracuse 1801 Milton Ave Landd Less than 1 100

Newfane 2748 Main St Main officec 1,800 100

North Carolina (2) New Bern 413-415 Middle St Main officed 21,000 50

Clinton 109 W Main St Main officec 13,653 100

Ohio (3) Columbus 1521 Cassady Ave Landd 4 100

Cincinnati 5545 Murray Rd Landc 3 100

Lorain 863 Broadway Main officec 29,565 100

Oklahoma (2) Oklahoma City W Reno Ave, between 

Meridan & Portland

Landb

37 100

Oklahoma City 7800 Hefner Rd Landc 7 100

Oregon (1) Myrtle Creek Rice St, between Battan & 

Maple

Landd

1 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in each state/entity)

Property location

Type of propertya

Property size

Vacancy rate 

City Address (percent)

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix IV

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the U.S. Postal 

Service as of October 1, 2002

Page 61 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Pennsylvania (3) Philadelphia Lindbergh Blvd Landb 50 100

Swiftwater Swiftwater Rd Sr 1011 Landb 1 100

Elizabethville 25 Broad St Landb 1 100

Puerto Rico (3) San Juan E/S State Rd 176 Landc 2 100

Loiza State Rd 188 at Mediania 

Baja Ward

Landd

 Less than 1 100

Vieques State Rd 993 opposite 

Isabel Segunda Bypass

Landb

Less than 1 100

Rhode Island (3) Providence 24 Corliss St Landb 8 100

North Kingstown 7715 Post Rd Landc 2 100

West Warwick 1190 Main St Main officec 10,179 100

South Carolina (3) Hilton Head Island 10 Bow Circle Landb Less than 1 100

Darlington 201 Pearl St Main officed 9,123 100

North Myrtle Beach 621 Sixth Ave S Main officec 6,500 100

Texas (13) San Antonio 10410 Perrin-Bietel Rd Landb 10 100

Round Rock 2250 Double Creek Dr Landd 9 100

Austin Airport Blvd Landd 6 100

El Paso PO Box 9998 Landd 6 100

Edinburg 410 South Jackson Rd Landd 4 100

Eastland Southwest corner, 

Daugherty/White

Landb

Less than 1 100

Dallas Bryan & Ervay Sts Post officed 163,694 75

Paris 231 Lamar Ave Main officec 28,673 100

San Benito 417 N Sam Houston St Main officec 16,342 100

Mission 901 N Francisco Ave Main officed 10,670 100

Austin 2620 Anderson Ln Post officec 9,383 100

Waller Southeast corner, 

Saunders and Main

Main officec

3,360 100

Austin 3507 N Lamar St Post officec 2,877 100

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in each state/entity)

Property location

Type of propertya

Property size

Vacancy rate 

City Address (percent)

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Appendix IV

List of Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties Reported by the U.S. Postal 

Service as of October 1, 2002

Page 62 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Source: USPS.

a

This table includes all properties that had been reported to USPS headquarters for disposal or 

enhanced use. Land refers to real property that has no structures on it, and all land is considered 100 

percent vacant. 

b

As of May 1, 2003, USPS officials said that this property was being held for construction of a future 

USPS facility. 

c

As of May 1, 2003, USPS officials said that this property had been sold or was under contract to be 

sold. 

d

As of May 1, 2003, USPS officials said that this property was being offered for sale or it had been 

identified as unneeded for USPS purposes.

e

As of May 1, 2003, USPS officials said that this property was no longer vacant or underutilized 

because it was being used by USPS or had been leased to other tenants.

f

This figure includes a total of about 11 acres for 19 land properties, each of which measured less than 

1 acre.

Virginia (5) Roanoke 1515 Courtland Rd, NE Landb 2 100

Arlington 3101-3115 10th St Lande Less than 1 100

Mechanicsville 9540 Chamberlain Rd Landc Less than 1 100

Harrisonburg 116 N Main Main officec 50,423 100

Chester 4238 W Hundred Rd Main officec 6,765 100

Washington (1) Toppenish Old Safeway Building USPS buildinge 10,700 100

Total (114) 106 cities 114 properties 4,276,979 500f

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity (total 

number of properties 

in each state/entity)

Property location

Type of propertya

Property size

Vacancy rate 

City Address (percent)

Buildings 

(square 

feet)

Land 

(acres)
Page 63 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Appendix V

List of Locations with 5 or More GSA, VA, and 

USPS Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties as of October 1, 2002 ApenVdxi

State/entity Location

Number of properties

GSA VA USPS Total

Alabama Tuscaloosa 5 5

Alabama Tuskegee 23 1 24

Arkansas North Little Rock 5 5

California Alameda 10 10

California Los Angeles 52 2 54

Colorado Lakewood 14 14

Connecticut Newington 10 10

District of Columbia Washington, DC 10 1 11

Georgia Augusta 12 12

Iowa Knoxville 7 7

Illinois Hines 7 7

Illinois North Chicago 9 9

Indiana Marion 27 27

Kansas Leavenworth 36 36

Kentucky Lexington 19 19

Massachusetts Bedford 8 8

Massachusetts Brockton 5 5

Maryland Baltimore 3 1 1 5

Maryland Fort Howard 43 43

Maryland Middle River 8 8

Maryland Silver Spring 21 21

Michigan Battle Creek 5 5

Missouri Kansas City 10 10

Missouri St. Louis 12 4 16

Nebraska Lincoln 4 1 5

Nevada Reno 1 4 1 6

New Jersey Lyons 5 5

New Mexico Albuquerque 2 1 2 5

New York Batavia 7 7

New York Jamaica 5 5

New York Montrose 9 9

New York Northport 9 9

North Carolina Asheville 8 8

North Carolina Salisbury 5 5

Oklahoma Oklahoma City 3 2 5
Appendix V

List of Locations with 5 or More GSA, VA, and 

USPS Vacant and Underutilized Real 

Properties as of October 1, 2002

Page 64 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Source: GAO analysis of GSA, VA, and USPS data.

Pennsylvania Butler 7 7

Pennsylvania Pittsburgh 1 14 15

South Carolina Columbia 7 7

South Dakota Fort Meade 7 7

Tennessee Johnson City 6 6

Tennessee Murfreesboro 9 9

Texas Fort Worth 18 18

Texas Temple 6 6

Texas Waco 10 10

Virginia Hampton 9 9

Virginia Salem 5 5

Washington Vancouver 1 21 22

Wisconsin Milwaukee 8 8

Wyoming Sheridan 7 7

 Total—31 states and the District of 

Columbia 49 locations 114 452 10 576

(Continued From Previous Page)

State/entity Location

Number of properties

GSA VA USPS Total
Page 65 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Appendix VI

Comments from the General Services 

Administration ApenVdxiI

We did not include

enclosure 1.

We did not include

enclosure 2.
Appendix VI

Comments from the General Services 

Administration

Page 66 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property
Page 67 GAO-03-747 Vacant and Underutilized Federal Real Property

Appendix VII

GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments ApenVdxiI

GAO Contacts Bernard L. Ungar (202) 512-2834

Mark L. Goldstein (202) 512-2834

Gerald Stankosky (202) 512-5758

Staff 

Acknowledgments

In addition to those named above, William Dowdal, Anne Hilleary, and 

Jessica Lundberg made key contributions to this report.

(543033)
GAO’s Mission The General Accounting Office, the audit, evaluation and investigative arm of 

Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional 

responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the

federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public 

funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, 

recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed 

oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO’s commitment to good 

government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and 

reliability.

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost is 

through the Internet. GAO’s Web site (www.gao.gov) contains abstracts and fulltext files of current reports and testimony and an expanding archive of older 

products. The Web site features a search engine to help you locate documents

using key words and phrases. You can print these documents in their entirety, 

including charts and other graphics. 

Each day, GAO issues a list of newly released reports, testimony, and 

correspondence. GAO posts this list, known as “Today’s Reports,” on its Web 

site daily. The list contains links to the full-text document files. To have GAO email this list to you every afternoon, go to www.gao.gov and select “Subscribe to 

e-mail alerts” under the “Order GAO Products” heading. 

The first copy of each printed report is free. Additional copies are $2 each. A 

check or money order should be made out to the Superintendent of Documents. 

GAO also accepts VISA and Mastercard. Orders for 100 or more copies mailed to

a single address are discounted 25 percent. Orders should be sent to: 

U.S. General Accounting Office 

441 G Street NW, Room LM

Washington, D.C. 20548 

To order by Phone: Voice: (202) 512-6000 

TDD: (202) 512-2537 

Fax: (202) 512-6061 

Contact:

Web site: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm

E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470 

Jeff Nelligan, Managing Director, NelliganJ@gao.gov (202) 512-4800 

U.S. General Accounting Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 

Washington, D.C. 20548 

Obtaining Copies of 

GAO Reports and

Testimony 

Order by Mail or Phone 

To Report Fraud,

Waste, and Abuse in 

Federal Programs 

Public Affairs 
United States

General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548-0001

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

Address Service Requested

Presorted Standard

Postage & Fees Paid

GAO

Permit No. GI00